Forever and Always
by m9ower
Summary: Anna Martin, a new member of the Avengers, was captured and tortured on a mission gone wrong. After she returns home, she realizes her life will never be the same. (I'm not great at summaries, read story for more). Loki/OC Rated T for mentions of torture, language, and later pregnancy. First fanfic- please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my first Avengers fanfic, and though I am really good at reading them, I have no idea if I am good at writing them. This chapter is pretty much just an intro- bear with me because the action will start soon. For future reference, I will try to update as frequently as possible. **

**Ok, that's out of the way…. here we go! **

* * *

I struggle to take another breath as the chains holding me down cut deeper and deeper into my skin. My captors have me in a damp stone room deep underground, and I haven't heard a word of English for the 3 weeks I've been here. A shiver racks my thinning body.

"достаточно тепло маленький?" the guard chuckles. He spits on the back of my head and slams the door as he leaves my cell.

I am on my knees, bent over with my hands behind my back in some sort of a distorted fetal position. I have been chained this way for too many days to count, and I doubt my body can take much more. My legs are mostly numb, my back is raw, both arms are scraped and bruised and a nasty gash along my hairline is still oozing lukewarm blood onto the grimy floor. Lovely.

I remind myself to keep breathing and try to focus on happier thoughts. I think back to the team in New York- my own unique version of a family. I joined the Avengers soon after the battle against the Chitauri, and we had grown close before I left on the failed mission that landed me here. I create a calming scene in my head to soothe some of my worries: I see Steve and Thor sparring in the boxing ring- the super soldier's agility and the god's strength a near equal match every time. Over at the gun range, Nat and Clint are at target practice, sharing the occasional satisfied glance as they send bullets and arrows downrange- their marksmanship a perfect mix of deadly accuracy and practiced ease. The self-dubbed "science bros" Tony and Bruce are down in the lab. They spend days at a time researching, making new weapon prototypes and solving algorithms complex enough to bring MIT professors to their knees, all the while cracking jokes and having a good time.

I also think of our newest member, Loki. Thor insisted that we give Loki a second chance, and after a thorough psychological investigation by SHIELD it was discovered that the Tesseract was influencing Loki during his entire stay on Midguard. Few of his actions were done consciously. After many long SHIELD meetings, a lot of pleading from the thunder god, and near surprise appearance from the Hulk, it was decided Loki would join the Avengers. Though everyone was wary of the decision at first, especially Clint, Loki had eventually become one of us. We've grown quite fond of both his insightful battle strategies and dry wit alike.

The irony of it all causes a weak laugh to escape from my lips. The abrupt sound pierces the wet silence of my surroundings. My ribs cry out in protest, and a moan soon follows. I cannot take much more of this. Every cell in my body feels like it is either on fire or the receiving end of a punch from the Hulk. I have never felt torture like this before. Here I've been kicked, punched, slapped, beaten, whipped, and stabbed, and that isn't even the start of it.

A small seed of anger plants itself in my throat.

_"Why hasn't the team found me yet?"_

_"Don't they know what I'm going through?"_

_"Why did I take this damn mission in the first place? This should be someone else, not me."_

But a tiny voice inside reminds me otherwise, and the frustration melts into sadness.

_"What if I never see them again? I never really said goodbye, just 'See you all in a few days.'"_

_"What if they find where I am, but get here too late?"_

They better get here soon.

I feel my eyelids begin to droop, and my heart rate slows from a flutter to a sluggish thud.

The air around me feels thicker, as if it's pressing me further into the ground.

_"Sleeping on the job again, carrot-top?"_ Tony would joke.

A small smile flashes across my face.

I'll miss them.

As I perch on the brink of unconsciousness, a jarringly loud bang shakes the room. A gentle cloud of dust drifts down falls from the ceiling and settles like a blanket.

But as much as I want to, I can't bring myself to stay awake.

***достаточно тепло маленький? = Warm enough little one?**

**Please review, I love to hear what you think! **

**-m9ower**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dearest Readers,**

**Thank you so much for the astounding support for the first chapter! Every time I saw I had a new review I literally screamed at my computer. It was amazing. Notes to my wonderful reviewers:**

**ecrooked24- Thanks, and I just made up her name randomly.**

**Alley Arlington- Thanks, and for the record, I have read some of your stories and LOVED them. :)**

**SaskiaWillow1201- I know, I like Loki this way too. He was just misunderstood. :)**

**Thanks again for the reviews! Here we go…**

* * *

**Avengers POV**

"How many minutes to the drop coordinates?" Steve asks, with a hint of anxiety bleeding through his normally unwavering tone.

The entire Avengers team, except for Anna, are pacing around the launch zone of the helicarrier preparing for their missing member's rescue mission.

"Nervous, old man?" Tony smirks.

Steve would have normally responded with some sort of sharp retort rebuking the billionaire for his lack of focus, but this time he sees a small trace of concern on Tony's face as well and holds back. They have all gone on this type of mission many times before, but it has never been for one of their own. The possibility of failure has suddenly become a lot more terrifying.

"2 minutes Captain," Agent Hill reports. "I suggest that those who need parachutes better grab them now."

Clint, Steve, and Natasha slip into the sturdy harnesses while the others watch idly. Thor and Tony plan on flying down, Loki will teleport, and Bruce will drop and let the Other Guy take over mid fall.

Fury approaches the group. "Everybody ready? Know the plan? Remember, this will be pretty basic. Spread out, locate Agent Martin, report back when you've found her and everyone can make their way to the helicopter we'll have waiting on the west side of the complex for extraction."

"Yes, mother," sighs Tony quietly before closing up the faceplate of his suit.

"For the love of God, Stark!" Natasha finally exclaims. "I know it's hard for you, but could you just be serious for once in your life? These people have managed to keep Anna completely hidden from SHIELD for almost a month, and we have no idea what to expect. "

Tony lets out an indignant huff, as the others looked around, shocked. They know Anna and Natasha are good friends, but no one has ever seen the Black Widow lose her composure like that before.

Agent Hill breaks the silence. "30 seconds to drop."

The Avengers make their way over to the ramp that is slowly lowering down from the ship, opening up the launch platform. They peer over the snowy Russian cities in silence for a moment, taking in the mysterious beauty.

Loki lifts his head and says quietly, "What if we are too late?"

The team flinches as the question swimming in the back of their minds is suddenly thrown into the air.

"We'll never know if we don't jump," responds Steve, as he takes a deep breath and leads the group in dropping into the frigid night air.

* * *

A few minutes later, the team is safely on the snowy ground and running towards the small, abandoned building that SHIELD had identified as the entrance to the underground headquarters. The Hulk reaches it first and knocks down the entire front side of the rickety structure, armed guards and all. His job is to stay at the surface (as enclosed spaces aren't always favored/accessible by the Other Guy) and to make sure no one who poses a threat can enter or exit the complex. The fighting will be contained to the underground.

The Captain then leads the rest of the team through the rubble to the remnants of a fluorescently lit stairwell entrance at the back of the building. It starts looking rather plain, but as they descend lower and lower into the ground their surroundings begin to look more and more like a decrepit prison. As they reach the bottom of the stairs, they burst through the creaky doors to see an impossibly long, dark, stone hallway illuminated with dim work lights every twenty or so feet.

"We have to work fast," Steve orders. "Check as many rooms as you can and alert the rest of the team over the headset when you've found her. Now MOVE."

The Avengers dart in different directions, taking out numerous patrol guards and trying to ignore the heightening volume of the shouts coming their way as they run through the maze of hallways and tunnels.

"Damn," Clint thinks, as he shoots a guard through the chest, "This organization really must have been something back in the day." There are dozens and dozens of cells for possible prisoners, but they are all completely empty.

The briefing before this mission had been short; a privately run human-trafficking organization based in Russia was slowing down and falling apart, so Anna had been sent to plant a detonator in the main headquarters. SHIELD believed that the bomb's damage potential could weaken the organization (known as the Black Cobras) into its ultimate failure. Another threat to permanently cross off the super villain laundry list.

Clint is snapped out of his train of thought as an enormous guard lands a painful blow on the archers shoulder.

"Damn," Clint mutters to himself, as he works to regain the upper hand against the man who might as well be a half-bear half-human. "Once again, thinking only gets me into trouble."

**Loki POV**

As I take down another one of the pathetic thugs guarding this place, I glance into another cell.

Nothing.

This will take forever: trying to look into each and every one of these cells. We're going at this all wrong. I manage to duck into a conveniently empty hallway and close my eyes to think for a few seconds. I focus my magic into sensing the people in this labyrinth of corridors. I almost give up using this method, finding nothing of any help after a few moments, but suddenly a tiny spark works its way into my mind. It flickers, straining to be seen, unlike everyone else's naturally strong presence.

It has to be her.

I see Natasha turn into my hallway.

"Anything?" she yells, as she jogs in my direction.

"Yes!" I shout back, as my feet instinctively lead me to a place I have never seen before, but my mind has charted a course to.

Using magic again, and a bit of shoving, I break open the door.

I run in, and my breath stings in my throat at the sight.

There she is.

**Review!**

**-m9ower**


	3. Chapter 3

**Dearest readers,**

**Thank you so much for the continued support! Reviews make me happy. I going to apologize in advance for the crazy POV shifts in this chapter, but they add to the already hectic scenario playing out. I promise it won't always be this confusing. To my amazing reviewers:**

**SaskiaWillow1201 – thanks a ton, I'm glad you like them!**

**Alley Arlington – haha, thanks! :)**

**ecrooked24 – I added a little more about Loki in this chapter, but plan on gradually telling more and more about him as we go. :) Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, it meant a lot.**

**Here we go…**

* * *

_My feet instinctively lead me to a place I have never seen before, but my mind has charted a course to._

_Using magic again, and a bit of shoving, I break open the door._

_I run in, and my breath stings in my throat at the sight._

_There she is._

* * *

**Loki POV**

I have never seen Anna look so fragile.

At second thought, I don't think I've ever seen Anna weak at all.

She is always in top physical shape- ready to take on anything and everything. We had sparred together before, and she was once able to knock the breath out of me with a single punch.

Now, she looks like she would collapse under the weight of a single feather.

I stride over to her and crouch by her side. She has several metal chains crossing over her body, the crude imprisonments holding her down. After a few seconds of fiddling I manage to undo the locks and toss the bindings away. She slumps over on her side, and an involuntary moan escapes her cracked lips. Clad only in undergarments, unconscious, and barely breathing, I can see the amount of misery she is in.

My mind flashes back to hazy memories in a Chitauri prison, being held back by restraints and powerless to escape the tortures they had planned for me. I shudder, remembering each and every crack of a whip, swing of a bat and drop of acid that came in contact with my abused skin, and how no one was there to bring me back to consciousness.

I have to stop remembering. "Anna. Listen to me. Anna!" I yell, trying to wake her.

She does not respond.

Something inside of me cracks. She doesn't deserve to suffer like this. Anna's life consisted of no more than working for others. When her parents, both SHEILD agents, had died on a mission when she was a child, she was immediately thrown into training. Several years later she graduated and began fieldwork, and that was her life until now.

Seeing her beat down like this makes me realize just how much I care. Never have I wanted to sacrifice myself for another, but now I would do anything to take her place. She deserves someone who loves her.

Natasha catches up to me, and the sharp sound of her footsteps snaps me out of my trance.

"We've found her, report to the extraction site," she barks into her comm unit.

The assassin kneels beside me, as I carefully drape my cape over Anna to help keep her warm.

"How bad is it?'' Natasha asks, her voice only darkening as she witnesses her friend in such a state.

"We have to get her out of here now to have any chance at all," I reply, almost whispering. I gently scoop Anna up and cradle her against my body as we rush to the exit.

**Steve POV**

"We've found her, report to the extraction site," Natasha's voice sounds over the comm system.

Finally. The number of guards in the hallways feels like it has grown in the past few minutes, and I 'm beginning to feel claustrophobic in the small, dim hallways. Thor and I reach the stairwell at the same time. As I open the doors, I spot Loki and Natasha running towards us. Anna is swaddled in a cape in his arms.

"Hurry," he shouts, "We don't have much longer."

As they near, I can see why. She looks horribly emaciated; a shadow of her former self. After the battle of New York, she was the first SHIELD agent to take me in and help me get acclimated to this era. I owe my knowledge of a lot to her.

Soon, Tony and Clint come running down the hallway.

"All here. Ready?" I ask.

"Get out of my way Spangles, this place is gonna blow in about a minute and a half whether we're inside or not," Tony's voice yells through the suit's modulator. He seems slightly more unaccustomed to running as opposed to flying in his suit, and the awkward clanking movements would be humorous if the current situation was less stressful.

"What do you mean, Man of Iron?!" Thor bellows, as we ascend the stairs even faster than before.

"I figured that as long as we were here, we might as well plant a charge to blow this place sky high and finish what Anna started," Tony shouts back, as we finally reach the surface and rush through the wreckage towards the helicopter.

**Anna POV**

I feel an icy breeze and the sting of snowflakes on my face.

Hell isn't supposed to be so cold.

But then I hear voices, no words in particular, but I recognize the tones.

Behind me there is deep rumble, probably coming from Thor. I also hear a man and a woman, most likely Clint and Natasha, talking urgently. Everyone else must be ahead of me judging by the amount of footsteps I hear.

But then I notice Loki's low, smooth voice directly next to my ear. Through my foggy mind, I can only pick out a few words.

"…fine… almost home… be okay…"

Something about the way his voice sounds, the gentle warmth of his body, and the soft thumping of his heart in my ear make me relax instantly, and despite the pain I curl closer into his arms. They didn't forget me after all.

**Loki POV**

I am glad I can see the helicopter from here because I doubt Anna can hold on much longer. We pile into the small space as Bruce, back to his less-green human state, begins to inspect everyone for any major injuries that need attention.

"You'll be fine, we're almost home. Everything will be okay, just hold on," I whisper to her.

Just as we are taking off, something happens that almost makes me gasp aloud.

Anna presses further into my arms, and for a brief moment she seems almost normal again, like she'd fallen asleep on the couch during a movie night and was just getting more comfortable. The fact alone that she moved has to be a promising sign.

Everyone else notices my expression, and several quiet sighs of relief can be heard. But just as we let our guard down, the worst happens.

Her chest falters, and body goes completely limp.

I feel Anna's heartbeat stop.

**Review! **

**-m9ower**


	4. Chapter 4, Part 1

**Dear Everyone,**

**So sorry it took this long to update! I blame it on life... it gets in the way of everything. To my reviewers:**

**Avenger Lover (Guest), Alley Arlington, Victoria Pansy (Guest), ecrooked24, AussieMaelstrom - Thank you all so much! You all are the best :)**

**GabbyTheAngel - hahaha, I love it. you're the best :)**

* * *

_Just as we let our guard down, the worst happens._

_Her chest falters, and body goes completely limp._

_I feel Anna's heartbeat stop._

* * *

**Loki POV**

I freeze, and as the others turn triumphantly to watch the enemy headquarters explode in an impressive ball of flames (as Tony promised), I try to formulate words.

"Bruce…" the dark haired man turns from inspecting a gash on Clint's arm and pushes up his glasses."Yeah?" he responds.

"She… Anna… her heart stopped!" I managed to get out, lacking my usual eloquence.

He gives me a brief look of dread and fear before snapping into action. As I lay her down on the floor of the helicopter, he pulls back the cape and immediately checks for a pulse. The rest of us simultaneously move away to give him space against all of our instincts to crowd in and help. If Bruce can't keep her alive now, then none of us can.

As he begins chest compressions, I am unable to stand it anymore and look away to my teammates. Natasha's head is leaning softly on Clint's shoulder, and her breaths are slightly uneven as she struggles to keep her emotions in check. Tony and Steve both look dazed, like they are suddenly remembering something from long ago that they wish they could forget.

The most composed of the group, Clint and Thor, are frozen in place and looking at the ground as if they could will everything to be okay. In this horrible moment we are the closest we have ever been. We have all suffered alone before, with our own demons, but now it seems different. We are all struggling under the pain we fear most—being completely powerless.

As Bruce continues to rhythmically thrust down on Anna's chest, we approach the landing zone on the fast- approaching Helicarrier. I see a stretcher and medical team waiting, which does little to reassure me. Just as we are about to land, have the sudden urge to drop next to Anna and grab on to her hand, but hold back. It won't make a difference now.

The paramedics lift her on to a stretcher, as the rest of us mill around helplessly, knowing that following will only cause more confusion and stress. We may be suffering, but we still have some shred of sense about us.

I want her to live. I want her to survive more than anything I have never wanted in my life. I want to see her eyes again. The world turns in slow motion as medical rolls her away towards the emergency room.

All we can do is hope.

**Sorry that it is so incredibly short- next update will be soon.**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 4, Part 2

**Dear marvel-ous readers (sad sense of humor shining through right about now),**

**Thank you for the amazing support once again! This is the longest chapter so far- yay. Reviewers:**

**ecrooked24 - thank you so much for the suggestion! I was planning on going that direction, but then the chapter got a mind of its own. :) thanks for your thoughts, it really means a lot.**

**SaskiaWillow1201, Alley Arlington - thank you guys for the support! you make me lol... :)**

**Here we go...**

* * *

**Anna POV**

As I swim in and out of consciousness, I am suddenly aware of the soft murmurs surrounding me.

"…wake up?" I barely hear Steve say.

"… possibly several days…" a foreign voice responds.

A door shuts, and another conversation resumes. I can't pick up the words, yet all of the participating voices sound familiar.

I take a moment to grasp where I am. I remember losing consciousness in the cell, stirring briefly in Loki's arms, but that's where it all trails off… It's unnerving, not knowing what's going on or where I am. Besides, I can sense the massive amount of drugs in my system, which can't be helping my sense of orientation at all.

One memory strikes me- Loki's voice in my ear as he carried me out of the prison. The trickster god is never one to show much emotion and rarely even gets anxious before missions, regardless if everyone around him is nearing a panic attack. But his voice sounded so different then- so wracked with anxiety, it could have been a different person entirely.

I am drawn back to reality as I recognize the feel of the clean sheets under my fingertips: SHIELD medical wing issued. Unmistakable, even with the distracting pinch of the wide variety of needles coming out of my arm. Normally I would have tried to get up and prove to the nurses how I've recovered as soon as possible to shorten my stay, but for some reason I don't even care about being in a hospital right now. I feel totally comfortable. Not to mention that the amount of pain meds coursing through my body feels large enough to sedate an elephant, so I doubt I could stand for more than a second.

I try sitting up the tiniest bit, thinking the drugs can hold off most of the pain from my injuries.

Bad move.

I almost yelp from the pain, but instead a much smaller "gaa-ah" escapes my lips.

I mentally calculate the damage done. Most of my ribs are probably broken, as is my left wrist, some fingers and a few vertebrae. I haven't yet moved my legs, but considering the injuries up top I can assume there are a few breaks there also. Alright, I can deal with that. At least I still have all of my extremities.

Suddenly the conversation nearby stops, and I hear the soft shuffle of approaching footsteps. Nat speaks first.

"…Anna? Can you hear me? Open your eyes if you can, but try not to move, you're still healing…" she trails off.

I want to open my eyes more than anything right now, but I'm having a difficult time trying to regain control over my facial muscles.

"Come on, Annie, you can do it," I hear the rest of the team cheer quietly, making me feel remarkably like a pet dog.

I finally manage to open one eye, and clear white light pours into my vision.

"She's alive!" Tony cheers.

A faint smile crosses my lips as my vision focuses, and I see the entire Avengers team, the family I thought I would never see again, circled around the white hospital bed.

"How do you feel, Lady Anna?" Thor asks seriously.

"Like crap," I manage to croak out, but I can't hold back my genuine smile.

"That's better than nothing," Bruce laughs. "You've been out for almost 3 days."

"I'm glad you're okay," Nat says, as she bends down to give me a gentle hug in a very rare show of compassion. "I wouldn't be able to take it if my only female teammate left me to deal with these idiots alone."

"Love you too, Tasha," Clint smiles sarcastically.

"Thank you," I whisper into her ear before she straightens back up. She gives a small nod in acknowledgement, returning back to her stoic self in an instant.

As much as I try to hold it back, a small yawn escapes.

"We'll go and let you sleep," Steve says, gesturing for the others to head to the door. "We know you must be tired, and besides, visiting hours are almost over."

"Well, you're no fun," Tony scoffs. "She just woke up and we…" his voice falls out of earshot, as Steve guides him through the door.

"See you later, Miss," Steve says quietly before heading off into the hallway.

As I listen to the team's footsteps travel down the corridor, I see a small movement out of the corner of my eye.

"Loki?" I ask.

"I'm glad you're okay," he says quietly, as he leans out of the darker corner of the room. His eyes are bloodshot, like he hasn't gotten any sleep in the recent past. He sits smoothly down on the chair next to my narrow hospital bed.

"You were very warm," I blurt out. What is wrong with me? _You were very warm_. Yeah, that doesn't sound stupid. I blame the meds.

He lets out a laugh; full of relief, but I still sense a small note of tension.

"I'm glad I could be of assistance," he replies.

A beat of silence passes before I murmur, "What really happened?"

It takes him a moment to respond. "Well… the team went-" he starts hesitantly.

"No." I state sharply, pausing to cough a little as my lungs grow re-accustomed to the strain of talking. "I know some stupid psychiatrist or something talked to all of you; warned you not to say anything that might trigger bad memories or whatever. But the only way I can really start to get over it is for you to tell me what happened- the extent of the damage- when I was unconscious so I can get the whole story. I'm not as afraid of death as everyone seems to think I am."

He looks down at the floor and then back into my eyes.

"Fine," he responds quietly. "We made it down into the headquarters and split up to find you faster. I reached you first, and…" he pauses. "You looked so frail and broken that we were sure we were going to lose you for good. It was freezing and you barely had any clothes on, so I covered you with my cape and picked you up.

"From there we all made it back to the surface and onto the escape helicopter. We all thought it was going to be okay: we were just a few minutes away from the Helicarrier and the charge Tony planted had already detonated. Then, your heart stopped. Bruce started chest compressions until the medics could take over. They used a device Midguardians refer to as a 'defibrillator', and your heart started beating again.

"Once the immediate threat was over, they treated you for malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, fractures everywhere on your body, including the broken ribs from CPR, internal bleeding in your abdomen…" Loki looks down, getting lost in his own thoughts.

"Tell me what you're thinking. I want to know."

He takes a moment more before responding.

"I know what that feels like, to struggle through that and be unsure if anyone is still there. I know how hard it can be. So, thank you for waiting- for living. We would not be the same without you," he finishes, and our two sets of watery eyes meet.

I slowly slide my hand towards him, and he takes it in his own.

"Thanks for coming," I mumble.

"You are welcome," he responds sincerely.

I lean my head back slowly, and feel sleep begin to pull me under. But before I close my eyes completely, I look back up.

"Stay? I'd rather not be alone," I whisper.

"Of course."

**Loki feeeels…**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Dearest readers,**

**As always, thank you so much for the awesome support! To my hot-mazing reviewers:**

**Katherine, Mini-Mischief – Aww, thanks! I'm glad you guys like it, it means a lot.**

**.GirlxX – Your review made me so happy. I literally lol'ed. Thank you so much!**

**Alley Arlington – thanks! I'm trying not to let him get too soft… let me know what you think.**

**SaskiaWillow1201 – thanks so much for the support!**

**Sorry it has taken so long for me to get this out- hope you all like it. I plan on updating again soon. **

**Here we go…**

* * *

**Anna POV**

(3 weeks later)

"Are you ready to stand?" Natasha asks.

"I guess so," I reply.

The last few weeks at the hospital have been miserable. SHIELD transported me to their land-base's recovery center in New York the day after I woke up so I wouldn't have to stay on the Helicarrier any longer than necessary. I still have a few weeks of mandated leave before returning to fieldwork, which I am not at all happy about.

I hated the hospital. Constant needles, doctor visits, laying down ALL of the time... it was the last place I want to be. I value my independence, so relying on someone to help me for everything makes me extremely irritable. After what seemed like a lifetime, the doctors gave me permission to return home as long as I wore all of the necessary braces to stabilize my injuries as they heal.

Liberation day has finally arrived: I'm only a quick trip down the hallway and through the entrance lobby to freedom. Suppressing a triumphant smile, I put either arm across Loki's and Natasha's shoulders. They had come to pick up and bring me back to the Avengers Tower, where our other teammates were waiting. We had planned beforehand to make tonight a movie night celebrating my return home.

I slowly slide off the side of the narrow hospital bed. I want to laugh and scream at the same time: it feels so good to stand on my own two feet, but then again, one of those feet is broken and laughing makes my chest hurt.

"Feeling okay?" Loki questions, seeing my strange expression.

"Yeah," I gasped, as pain shot through my body. "It'll be okay."

I am able to shuffle down the entire hospital hallway with minimal help from Nat and Loki, making me feel very proud. The doctors weren't even sure I would be walking within a month of entering the hospital, but I heal quickly. My body has had ample practice recovering from injuries like this.

We eventually make it down to the entrance and out the doors. As I take my first small steps from the glossy linoleum to concrete, a small breeze ruffles my hair. The smell, the brightness of the outdoors feels so good and clean and natural. My eyes can't take in enough of the fading orange sky that contrasts so much from the hospital's cold grey.

We pile into the waiting car that Tony sent to pick us up in and make the quick trip to the Avengers Tower. We then exit the car and take the same walk I have taken thousands of times before. Up to the main lobby, past the front desk and to the private elevators that lead our floor. This time it feels so different, as I have to work to navigate the path I used to be able to cross backwards with my eyes closed. As Nat pushes our floor number in the elevator, I break out into another smile. It's been a long time since I've been able to go home.

As the silver doors slide open to reveal the living room I haven't seen in weeks, my smile grows.

"WELCOME HOME!" Bruce, Steve, Clint, Thor, Tony and Pepper all scream at the same time.

Pepper is the first to run up and embrace me in a gentle hug.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't visit more often! We're about to launch a new marketing campaign and…"

"It's okay, Pepper," I laugh, cutting her off. "You're running a company, you've got a good excuse."

"I really missed seeing you," she says, stepping back to get a better look at me. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Getting better," I reply, as I exchange hugs and greetings with everyone and we make our way over to the couches surrounding the TV.

"Glad to hear it," Pepper responds, and then turns to face everyone. "I ordered pizza about a half-hour ago, so it should be here soon. Tonight is just going to be us enjoying each other's company, so don't try to sneak off to the labs, or anywhere else for that matter," she says, giving a pointed glance towards Tony. "Jarvis, can you turn on the movie?"

"Yes, Ms. Potts," the AI responds, and the lights in the room dim as the TV flickers to life.

I look around. We are seated in a semicircle across the multiple sofas. Tony and Pepper curled up next to each other, then Clint and Natasha are next to them. Then there are me, Loki, Bruce, Steve and Thor filling the rest of the seats. I can see the wide expanse of city from the huge window behind the TV. The sky is slowly turning a soft pink color that contrasts with the shadowy blue skyscrapers.

As the movie begins to play, I am taken aback by how silent we all are. Usually Clint and Tony would be giving sarcastic comments left and right about how fake the movie looks, while Thor would be shouting questions to Steve and Bruce about Midguardian terms he was not familiar with. Nat would intermittently shout death threats to the next person who talked, which would halt conversation periodically. Yet, it would eventually start up again and the cycle would continue.

Tonight we are silent, simply enjoying the moment. It feels so good to just be together in the same room with everyone, like a little bit or normality still exists for us. I breathe a sigh of content and lean back into the comfortable seat.

* * *

We finish the first movie, and as a group manage to eat a ridiculous amount of pizza. I enjoy it the most- I was going to scream if I even saw another plate of hospital food. After eating and spending a very amusing 10 minutes listening to Tony as he tries to explain how HD television works to Thor and Steve, we decide to put on another movie.

This time around I can barely keep my eyes open. My eyelids droop, and for the first time in a long while I fall asleep happy.

**Loki POV**

A few minutes into the second movie of the night, I feel Anna's head slide down to rest softly on my shoulder. Her eyes are closed peacefully, and her face looks positively serene.

I look around. Bruce and Steve are the only ones still awake, but they look tired as well. I have to stifle a yawn and decide I should probably turn in. I quietly slide out of my position on the couch while laying Anna's head gently down where I was sitting before. Then I slowly pick her up bridal-style, minding her injuries.

I walk down the hall to her bedroom, push the door open, and lay her gently down on the bed. I cover her in a blanket, but after a moment, I take a seat in one of the chairs in the corner of her room. I need to think.

Anna and I hadn't spoken much after our conversation in the Helicarrier hospital. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Throughout my life I had been attracted to different women, but I had never felt the way I do now.

What makes the least sense is how I have known her all of this time and yet have never discovered my true feelings. I guess the fear of losing her made me realize how much I care.

Every time I see her face, I am instantly elated: and yet, for some reason I am also apprehensive.

After all of the misery and pain I have caused, I don't deserve love.

Monsters don't deserve love.

Love makes people weak; vulnerable. Every cell in my body should be telling me to stop, to not get attached to her, that, in the words of Natasha, "Love is for children." I don't even know if she feels the same way.

I am still trying to organize my rambling thoughts when I see Anna move.

Her face is no longer peaceful, it is tightened into an expression of pure fear and pain. She is whimpering, and her arms and legs are kicking wildly to escape her terror of a nightmare. Suddenly she screams and lurches into a sitting position, waking herself up.

Anna is crying, with silent tears flowing freely down her cheeks. I bolt up and sit on the edge of her bed, clasping her clammy hands in mine.

"Anna, it's okay, it's fine!" I reassure her. "You're home at the Tower. You're safe."

She still looks highly disoriented and glances at me with a doubtful look. She takes a shaking hand and places it on my cheek for a brief second, as if testing whether or not I am real. Nodding, she removes her hand, but the tears continue to fall.

I move to sit next to her and place my arm around her shoulders. She melts into my embrace, and I hold her shaking body closely.

"Do you need to tell me?" I ask, once she takes a minute or two to calm down.

After a moment of silence, she quietly replies, "I relived it."

I give Anna a small squeeze. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," she answers.

A few minutes later, she breaks the silence.

"Thank you… for everything. Thor told me how you waited up while I was unconscious, and I feel like you were always there if I needed anything. So, thank you."

"You are very welcome," I say, craning my neck to see her face. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" I ask. There it is. I said it.

In the dim night I can see the faint hue of a blush on her cheeks.

"Umm… no. You haven't," she whispers.

"You are," I whisper back, and give her a chaste kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks," she says again, and I can hear the smile on her lips.

**So much fluff… a little more will happen in the future, I promise. This was just a chapter I had to get out of the way to get her home from the hospital.**

**Please, please, please review with comments and suggestions- I love them all!**

**-m9ower**


	7. Chapter 6

**Dearest Readers,**

**Cutting to the chase- reviewers:**

**Alley Arlington - Again, your review gave me a huge smile :) thank you so much for the continued support!**

**ecrooked24 - Thank you so much for the critiques- keep em coming! I tried to vary word choice, but let me know what you think.**

**Sorry this update is a little later than I would have liked, but I didn't like the previous version I wrote and basically re-did it all tonight.**

**Hope you like!**

* * *

**Anna POV**

I am awakened by the bright glare of sunrise streaming across my face. I slowly sit up, craning my neck to gauge my whereabouts. I give a small smile as I realize that I am back in my own room with my own bed where no nurses can walk in as they please. I sink back into the warm pile of blankets covering, but I stiffen as I realize who my pillow is.

Loki.

I am practically on top of Loki.

Damn.

I sit back up in an instant. The memories of last night come rushing back, starting with that dream. It was horribly vivid and I shudder once again as a few of the images flit through my mind. But when I woke… that was kind of a blur. I remember how Loki, just by being there, had chased some of the fear away, but that was it. Apparently, we snuggled. Hmph.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this yet. This turn of events basically goes against what I have practiced for my entire life. Never be reliant on anyone. Hold back feelings of attachment as much as possible, because in my line of work, people die, leave, and just go missing every day. Most of all, never fall in love.

Was that really a rule I had for myself? Or am I just making this up now as an excuse to run away from my feelings?

Last night felt natural. I was terrified after the nightmare- I could feel the chains surrounding my body and taste the hot blood in my mouth. But when Loki held me, it wasn't awkward or strange. He was helping me fight the bad memories, and there was no place in the world I would rather be. His comfort meant a lot. But then again, this could just be me overreacting. He's just a guy looking out for his fellow teammate; I should just leave it at that, this way I don't get hurt.

My train of thought is broken as I shift to look at him. The sunlight is flowing over his face, highlighting his graceful cheekbones and dark lashes. His long hair is soft and his lips—

Crap.

I can't help the blush from creeping over my cheeks. I guess Loki is attractive… I just thought I would have noticed before. I slowly edge out of bed, careful not to disturb him and tiptoe to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth. By the time I come back out, he is already awake and standing by the doorway.

"Breakfast?" he asks.

"Yeah, sure," I reply nonchalantly, and he leads the way to the kitchen.

* * *

The entire team (save Thor, who has already left on one of his frequent visits to Jane) is already in the kitchen before we arrive, chatting quietly over cups of steaming hot coffee and tea. Most everyone except Tony, who is in his pajamas still, and Pepper, who is wearing a demure business suit, is wearing workout clothes and looking relatively alert for this time in the day.

"Mornin' lovebirds," the billionaire smirks, as he sits down bleary-eyed at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal.

I freeze as Tony slyly brings up the topic I least want to publicize right now. I stutter (as calmly as possible), "W- what are you talking about?"

Way to play it cool. I'm a government agent, shouldn't I be able to pull this off?

"I may have just woken up, but don't think I haven't watched Jarvis's security tapes, Lil' Red. I saw you two cuddling," Tony reports with a smug look. Nat and Clint both share an amused look, while Steve blushes furiously. Poor guy isn't acclimated to the mysteries of 21st century male/female interaction quite yet.

Pepper beats me in giving Tony a firm slap to the arm.

"Didn't we talk about invading people's privacy?" she scolds.

"Yes, ma'am," he says cheekily.

Pepper lets out an exasperated sigh and stands, coffee cup in hand.

"Well, I would love to stay and chat, but I'm off to work. Tony, please try not to blow anything up today. Jarvis nearly had to call the fire department twice this week alone."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he yells, just as the elevator door glides to a close.

I am eager to change the topic of conversation far away from last night's events. "So, what has everyone got planned for today?" I interject.

Steve, Clint, and Natasha simultaneously reply, "Training."

Bruce and Tony stick to routine as well, both saying, "Lab work."

"Well, glad to know everyone has begun to pursue new interests since I've been gone," I mutter, taking a sip of tea.

"Why purse new interest," Tony muses sarcastically, as he stands from his half-empty bowl. "When one's current passion holds so many undiscovered wonders?"

A few people at the table find his comment worthy of a sardonic clap. "Very poetic, Tony," I compliment.

"Why, thank you. Ready to go big guy?" he asks the other scientist, who also appears to be finished.

"Yep," Bruce responds, and the two proceed to head down to the labs followed by Steve, Clint and Nat who are heading to the nearby gym. Suddenly, Loki and I are left alone. Again.

Loki speaks up for the first time this morning. "I have to leave as well, Fury has me scheduled to lead one of those wretched training courses down at the base."

I share in his grimace. Fury occasionally makes one of us run a training course for some of the new SHIELD recruits. They were awful- the classes and the students alike. We all agreed that it was Nick's way of exercising power over us, and I guess it was, in a depressing kind of way.

"Well, good luck. Kick some newbie ass," I cheer.

He gives a characteristic smirk as he teleports away. What I would give to be a fly on the wall of that class… an ex-global terrorist has a pretty high intimidation factor with the agents-in-training.

I sigh, looking around at the now empty room. If I had it my way, I would be sparring in the gym right now. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to train whatsoever for the next week. Even then, anything other than target practice is prohibited. Damn injuries.

The rest of my day is spent wandering around the tower, occasionally stopping by the training rooms and lab to see everyone. Those visits generally make me feel like an even bigger invalid, due to the fact that as they develop advanced technology and practice precision knife-throwing, I am essentially learning how to walk right again. I try to ignore the increasing ache in my limbs, but seems like it has been years since I've moved this much. Eventually the day winds down, and by the time I collapse in bed I am completely exhausted.

At this point my body is beat. Unfortunately, my mind is not. After several minutes of tossing around and trying to find a comfortable position, I give up. I stand and envelop myself up in the crisp white sheets before leaving the room.

I decide to go out to the balcony overlooking the still-crowded New York streets. As I quietly slide open the glass door, a sudden movement startles me.

I regain my composure before asking, "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Rarely can," Loki says with a wry smile, the city lights illuminating his pale face as he looks over the buzzing traffic.

I close the door behind me and lean on the balcony edge next to him. He is dressed in a plain white shirt, with dark pants. Even though we live just a few doors down from each other, it seems strange to see him in anything other than his Asguardian style getup. The frigid night breeze ruffles his hair before he turns to look at me.

"Are you feeling okay?" he questions.

"Yeah, sure… yeah," I say unconvincingly. Seriously, government agent? Time to rethink career choices…

Another few minutes of silence pass as we gaze down at the twinkling streets.

"Tell me the whole story," he requests softly.

**YAY! Something is actually going to happen in the next chapter! :)**

**Please review! Comments, suggestions, unrelated rants- I love them all!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Dear Readers,**

**Sooo sorry this took so long to get out- it took a lot of time to make sure all of the information in the chapter was correct. (And I edited it about 5 times. Don't get me started). Thanks a million to all of my reviewers/followers /favoriters- I. LOVE. YOU.**

**Alley Arlington : Awww, thanks! Your support means a lot.**

**ecrooked24 : I have a chapter coming up w/ Nat and Anna- thanks for the suggestion!**

**Alrighty then…**

* * *

_"Tell me the whole story," he requests softly._

**Anna POV**

"I…uhh…." I mumble, not knowing whether to continue or not. I've been on countless assignments that have led to torture and injury and never once have I ever talked about it to anyone, much less a fellow team member. It just seems weak to whine and sniffle and pour out my emotions on someone else. I can handle it myself.

But somehow I know that this time seems different. I was held captive for longer; beat down harder. At this point I usually would have forgotten the whole thing, yet I still have flashbacks and nightmares. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell someone else the story. I could use a confidant.

After this momentary deliberation, I sigh. "Well, sit."

We plop ourselves down on the side-by-side reclining patio chairs and lean back to look at the sky.

"It was supposed to be an easy mission."

* * *

The wind whips across my face as I peer out the open helicopter door.

"Agent Martin, you ready?" the pilot yells.

"As I'll ever be," I shout over the ambient noise.

A few seconds later a screen beeps in the cockpit.

"In the drop zone, agent. Good luck."

I take a deep breath and dive out of the small helicopter without another word. My teeth chatter almost immediately- it is absolutely freezing and my skintight uniform is not helping much. I don't know what I was expecting though, Russian winters aren't known for their warmth.

After taking a moment to stabilize my fall, I spot a small light a ways below me. Any other passing aircraft could mistake it as a small rural home, but I knew better. The light came from a rickety house, leading the way to an underground facility of an enemy human-trafficking industry.

The organization, The Black Cobras, had been failing for years, so it hadn't been critical for S.H.I.E.L.D. to step in. Now that it was a few members away from falling apart, I had been sent to place a charge in their formerly secret headquarters. It would definitely be enough to finish them off. Simple enough.

Judging my descent speed by the building's light, I pull my parachute at just the right height and drift silently to the snowy ground.

Leaving my chute pack behind, I dart through the sparse trees while creeping down the side of the hill to the entrance. I eventually make it near enough to the structure to see inside.

Two guards are pacing in circles in the dim light. Due to the rather large assault rifles they are holding, I quickly determine that a stealth approach would work best. I steal away to the side of the house and gently open the grimy swing window that opens to a dark side room. Slipping through the small opening, I step lightly into the empty room as to avoid creaky floorboards.

I take a deep breath. I am inside and ready to attack- my element.

I slowly pull the handgun out of the holster on my thigh and swing out of the doorway. The two guards are out with bullets in their skulls before they have a chance to blink. I think of Nat, who was my foremost trainer at SHIELD. She would be proud.

Stepping over the accumulating pools of hot blood and running to the back of the room, I throw open the doors to the descending stairwell. Slitting the throats of three more passing guards with ease, they barely have the chance to make a sound. No wonder the group is failing. The guards can't fight worth a crap.

I reach the bottom of the stairwell and dart through the complex, remembering the intricate blueprints I had been shown earlier in briefing. I have to locate the correct cell to place the charge in, as one had been previously calculated to ensure the greatest damage. I make another left turn, then pause. This looks right.

I grab the explosive from my belt and smack it on the cold stone wall. The second before I can hit the button for activation countdown, I gasp at the feeling of a sweaty hand on the back of my neck pulling me away.

"Did you really think you could get away this easy, дорогой?" a voice rasps, dripping in a thick Russian accent. He was waiting for me.

I do not respond, instead spin around and connect my bent elbow with his straight one, causing his to emit a sickening pop. He yells and backs away, but manages to catch the foot I send his direction before it connects with his ribs.

He throws me to the ground. I get up in a split second, and turn to look at my attacker. I recognize his face now as Sergey Kudinov, head of this stupid organization.

"Strange that the leader is now reduced to fighting like his henchmen," I taunt, kicking his knee out from under him.

"Strange that a talented young SHIELD agent like you was taken down by an amateur like me," he laughs, equally at ease as he regains balance and we continue to spar in the shadowy cell. He doesn't seem to be very concerned with playing the offensive side, he's simply countering my blows.

"You haven't quite yet," I respond, landing a well-placed kick to his solar plexus.

He slams against the ground coughing, but continues to laugh as I try to turn and set the charge.

Though I am only a few feet away, I can't bring my legs to work. Suddenly, every muscle in my body seems to move in slow motion. My limbs are like wood, locked in place. I look down to my side as I notice the tiny dart sticking out of my abdomen. God, how did I miss that? Am I really falling prey to something as simple as this?

My mind is reeling: screaming to the rest of my body, to get up, to move, to fight back- to stop acting like such a goddamn rookie.

"No, no, NOO," I howl, but no matter how hard I try no noise will escape my lips.

As I slowly collapse to the floor the pain starts, sharp chemically-induced stabs to every muscle in my body. As I lose consciousness, the only noises I hear are the stomps of approaching guards, Sergey's maniacal laughter and the screams echoing through my head.

* * *

I shiver, coming back to reality.

"Shock was a lot of it, just comprehending how everything went so wrong, so fast. When I woke up, I was in chains. For a long time I tried to fight it, but after a week or two I realized it was hopeless. It was unexpected- for such a deteriorated organization they were very good at… dealing with prisoners," I finish.

"I just don't see how it took SHIELD so long to approve our rescue mission," he declares, frustrated.

"Don't worry about it, they had to gather data first and reanalyze the threat. And getting caught- that was my fault. I accepted this mission for myself. Besides, I'm a week or so away from getting out of these horrible joint braces, and then everything can go back to normal. Once I get back to field work, I'll be totally fine. I just need a little time to… process my thoughts."

He mutters something unintelligible and then looks over to me.

"What is your biggest fear?" he asks suddenly.

"Why?" I return instantly.

"Just wondering," he says. "I know a lot about you but have never really picked up on any real fears before."

"Being left behind," I answer, after contemplating for a moment. "I just… hate the feeling that someone you love has forgotten about you."

He nods, contemplating my response.

"What about you?" I wonder.

He stands abruptly, and I follow.

"Good night, Anna. Sweet dreams."

He gives me a quick peck on the cheek and seems to vanish before my eyes.

"This conversation isn't over," I yell to no one in particular, but somehow I know he is still listening. As I return indoors and walk back to my room, the end of our discussion replays over and over in my head.

Reclining on the bed again, I sigh in frustration.

The god of mischief is more complicated that I thought.

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter… what do you think? Honest opinions. Review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Dear Lovelies,**

**I can never tell you much I am thankful for your support! Sorry for the delay, I had a ridiculously busy week. I'm losing internet connection until next Sunday (AHH), so expect an extended update then. Woot.**

**Alley Arlington: Thanks so much for the input, you are the best! :)**

**ecrooked24 : I swear you are reading my mind! The black cobras will be reappearing in this ff later on… that's all I'm going to say now. *sly wink* thanks a ton for the review, I love your advice!**

**Quinn (Guest) : aww, I'm so glad you like it!**

**kitkatkatnisss4 (Guest): thanks for the input! :)**

**I love you all!**

* * *

**Natasha POV**

"You comin' Tasha?" Clint asks.

He is nearly out the door of the kitchen, heading to the gym yet again. Our team's morning routine generally stayed the same- they met up at sunrise to share coffee, tea, and other breakfast items depending on the day. Even Pepper would find a chance to drop by and say hello. Then after a few minutes each member would finish and leave quietly, or in Tony's case, rather loudly, to go off to work either in the labs or at the gym and adjoining target range. Everyone secretly took comfort in the family-type setting, given that none of us had much of a true family growing up.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna take Anna shopping or something today: a girls day out," I say back. "She needs to get out for a while."

He shrugs. "Your loss, we were planning on working in the gun range."

"You need the practice more than I do, Barton."

He ignores my jab, as always, and walks out smiling bigger than ever. I swear that man is crazy.

I take another sip of my now lukewarm coffee while admiring the bright orange sunrise peaking over the freezing skyscrapers. I have time to get up, pour a fresh cup, and settle myself back down before Anna comes wandering into the kitchen.

"Good morning lazy, I was starting to think you were sick," I chide.

"I got to sleep late last night," she mutters, dunking a teabag into a mug of hot water. "Spent some time… thinking on the balcony."

I watch carefully as Anna sits down next to me, steaming cup in hand. She looks different. Her eyes, usually frozen in a tired stare, have a sudden light.

"Do you have any plans for today?" I wonder.

"I have one more day before I'm supposed to train again, so no."

"Good. Get dressed, you have to get out of this building at some point. We are going shopping," I order.

"You never did strike me as much of a shopping type," she laughs.

I give her a look. "I'm not. I'm tired of watching you mope around all of the time, and besides, you need an outfit for the holiday party that's coming up."

Surprisingly enough, Tony had thought up the idea of hosting a small holiday party for everyone in the Avengers team, plus a few extras. Though the guest list is small, we're all looking forward to enjoying some time together. Most of our time together is spent under some impending threat, so worry-free evenings are cherished.

"Alright, fine by me," she agrees, heading back to her room to get dressed, tea in hand.

* * *

5 hours, 9 stores, a few hundred dollars, and countless shopping bags later we return to the tower successfully. After a lot of deliberation, we both managed to pick out dresses for the party: Anna with a deep purple, form-fitting, open leg number and me with a dark crimson backless dress. Though there won't be many people, we still enjoy dressing formally for our events together. It seems that every other time we get a chance to get dressed up, it's required for a mission.

Anna and I sort through the wide assortment of hangers and bags, and return all of the new clothing to our rooms. Later on we order Chinese takeout and then put on some sort of sappy rom-com to mock as we lunch on noodles. For as long as we have known each other, takeout and a movie have always been our pastime of choice.

A few minutes in to the movie, I ask nonchalantly, "So, what's the deal with you and Loki?"

She flinches for the briefest of moments. My hunch is definitely correct. As per usual.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she responds equally as natural, regaining her composure.

"Seriously? How on earth did you ever become an top agent at SHIELD if you can't lie about something like this?"

"I'm not lying!" she protests.

Noticing her rising blush, I retort, "Every single time he walks into the room, you look at him. But if he looks back at you, you avert your glance as soon as possible. And if you two so much as brush hands, you go running in the opposite direction. Among other strange behaviors. Stop lying to yourself, Anna. There are feelings."

She gives an exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine, whatever, but it's really no big deal."

"But don't you see it? You both enjoy each other's company, and your personalities are ridiculously compatible. So why are you treating it like it doesn't exist?"

She looks embarrassed, but at the same time, relieved that she isn't just imagining the whole thing. I know the feeling.

"I don't know… we just aren't that type of people; the ones that fall in love and have a happy ending."

I let the conversation drop for a while as we dig back into our lunch.

"I felt the same way with Clint, you know," I remark. "Don't be afraid to make the leap. It doesn't have to be the stupid storybook romance. It's real. Trust me."

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter either… either way, stick in there, we have some intense fluff/ feels comin up. It will be amazing- I am EXCITED.**

**REVIEW, YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hello again everyone,**

**I can't tell you how good it feels to have a computer with internet access again! A continuation of this will be out tomorrow when I get it all digitized. To my beautiful review people:**

**Alley Arlington - Thanks, I'm glad you're a fan of the fluffiness because the next update will be FULL of it. thanks for the support!**

**ecrooked24 - Once again, your advice helped a ton. I am totally convinced you are magical at this point. seriously. you are. not lying.**

**Thanks to all of my readers for hanging in there- stuff is gonna be soon. **

**Here we go...**

* * *

**Anna POV**

Sweat pours down my forehead as Steve, once again, pins me to the mat. He is gentle, but my ego takes a beating. I've only been back at practice for a few days, and yet Nat, Clint, Loki, and Steve have managed to beat me in sparring dozens of times on several occasions with absolutely no effort at all. Rrrrggh. If nothing else, I bet I can still take down Tony.

As I sit back on the mat, my recently healed wrist gives out, making me collapse once again.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Steve asks, stretching a concerned had out to help me up.

"Just fine," I grunt, massaging the sore joint as I return to a standing position. "Thanks."

"Maybe you should call it a day," Nat suggests. She is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching the training exercise.

Normally, I would have protested, but at this point I am totally beat. I have done nothing but shoot and spar and train, sleep, and then do it again for the last week. Despite my struggles to get back in shape, and the humiliation from getting beat all of the time, it still feels good to have something to work on again. I hate feeling useless.

"Yeah, that sounds good. See you guys tomorrow, thanks for the help."

"See ya Anne."

"Bye Miss Anna." Oh, Steve. His old-timey ways never cease to make me smile.

I leave the gym and trudge up the hallway towards my room, passing through the kitchen on the way. I am suddenly surprised by a huge booming voice coming from across the room.

"Lady Anna! I am pleased to see you again!" I am promptly swept into a highly uncomfortable hug from none other than the recently returned Thor.

"Good to see you too, Thor," I laugh, becoming more and more familiar with the god's excitable personality. After a few seconds too long, he ends our awkward embrace and backs up to reveal a thin brunette smiling shyly back at me.

"You remember Lady Jane, do you not?" he asks.

"Of course I do," I respond, also giving the petite woman a small hug. We had met several times over the past few months but never had the chance to really talk, as her visits are usually short. She is needed for work in New Mexico almost all of the time, and as much as she loves Thor, nothing can tear her from her career.

"She will be staying with us until the Man of Iron's holiday celebration tomorrow evening," Thor explains.

"I'm glad you could make it, Jane- it wouldn't have been the same without you. Actually, Nat, Pepper, and I were planning on getting ready together beforehand in my room, sort of a 'girl bonding thing' I guess. You're welcome to join us."

She seems to relax a bit and says, "Yeah, that'd be great."

Tony must be an anomaly, because every other scientist I have ever met, including Jane, is shy and reserved. Then again, that man really isn't like any other normal human being.

Thor interrupts our exchange. "My apologies, Lady Anna, but Lady Jane and I should go make Friend Stark aware of our arrival."

"No problem at all. See you later!"

As the two turn and walk towards the labs, I see their hands, despite the massive size difference, intertwine. Such a cute couple.

I return to my room, strip off my sweaty training clothes, and slip into the steaming shower. At first the water stings, rolling over the numerous scrapes and skins all over my arms and legs. Eventually the pain numbs out, and I can practically feel my sore muscles unwinding.

After spending much too long under the billowing steam, I work up the nerve to remove myself from the comforting heat. I jump out of the shower, into a towel, and into a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants as fast as possible. It feels incredibly good to be clean and dry after a long day of rolling around on smelly gym mats.

**Loki POV**

I can hear his large footsteps approaching my room long before I hear his voice.

"Brother!"

Yes, definitely Thor.

He practically gallops over to me and sweeps me up into a close hug.

"How have you faired during my absence?" Thor asks, a bundle of energy.

I hold back a snort of indignation. "Just fine," I respond flatly, straining against him until he gets the message to let go. Once I am free from his childish embrace, I drop back into my chair.

He notices my exceptionally irksome mood. "What troubles you, brother?" he questions, sitting in the seat opposite mine.

"Nothing of your concern."

"Come now, I may be able to offer council or assist in some other way. It could not hurt."

"I would prefer to think through it myself, thank you," I turn away, attempting to end the conversation.

"Nonsense, what are brothers for—"

Exasperated with the situation, and having previously been in similar ones with Thor that have gone on much too long, I finally yell, "You know what? I'll tell you! Just stop nagging!" Taking a deep breath and lowering my tone considerably, I mutter, "I may… have feelings for Lady Anna."

I take a moment to process what has just happened. What had just happened? Did Thor just convince me to talk about my feelings with him? Something must be really wrong with me.

A knowing smile breaks out on his face as he leans back, arms crossed behind his head.

"Is that all? Brother, your problem is not a problem at all, it is a wonderful thing!"

"How can you possibly say that? Love is perhaps the most complex thing in all the 9 realms, and I am certainly the last person who would know anything about it."

"Yes, but it is not something that can be studied and learned. It must be experienced."

My mind flashes back to I time much before now on Asgard, when we were young and naive. I had many relationships with many women, but all of it had meant nothing. They were the same, all of them, giggling and weak, with pretty faces and empty heads. They claimed the same thing: that they loved me, and would forever, but when I didn't feel the same way they were devastated.

Due to the fact that was all false affection, they recovered quickly, but now those experiences so long ago are all beginning to show me the other side of all of this. Having so much care and admiration for a person who doesn't feel the same for you is crushing. And I doubt I could recover so quickly with Anna.

Thor senses my hesitation, and is unfazed by my concerns. "I know both of you well, Loki. Your personalities are suited for each other."

"If you are so sure, then what do you propose I do? I cannot simply walk up to her and say, 'Anna, I think you are the most beautiful woman to grace the 9 realms. Will you be mine forever?'" I remark sarcastically.

He chuckles at the thought. "No, I suppose you are not prone to romantic scenes like that. Do something small that hints at your true feelings, I feel she will understand."

I am surprised at his knowledgeability regarding the subject. I begin to ponder the possibilities when I realize that we, Thor and I, have just had a full conversation about my affections towards a woman.

"Well, thank you Thor… for your advice."

"Glad to help, brother," he cheerily replies, without a care in the world. He stands, and with another dumb smile, leaves me to my now slightly clarified thoughts.

**Anna POV**

I have just flipped on the TV to catch up on the news after my shower when I hear a tentative knock at the door. I hurriedly toss my wet towel back into the bathroom and run my fingers through my hair before throwing open the door.

"Oh, hey!" I welcome, slightly shocked. "Do you want to come in?"

"No, that's fine," Loki answers, tapping his fingers on his leg. "I just need to ask you something."

I blink. God, this is awkward. We really haven't spoken much after the night on the balcony, but I have been beginning to notice some of the strange behaviors between us that Nat pointed out. I hate it when she's right. "Sure, shoot."

"Well, I know a few people are attending Stark's event in pairs," he begins, starting to loosen up. "And I was wondering if you would like to go with me, as a couple. Similar to a date, if you want it to be."

I am about to freak out and slam the door in an overwhelmed panic when Nat's voice, once again, rings through my mind at the last minute. Suddenly, this doesn't sound like such a terrifying thing at all.

"I would absolutely love for it to be a date. Pick me up around 7 o'clock?"

His smile could have blinded the sun. "Sounds good. See you then, Anna."

I watch him turn and take a few steps down the hallway before saying, "Bye," and closing the door. I then take a movie worthy running leap-turned-back flop on the bed, a ridiculous smile spreading across my face. I don't know when I turned into a lovestruck teenage girl, but it doesn't seem to bother me anymore. I can't wait until tomorrow night.

**I would love notes on how I'm writing the different characters right now- any suggestions/comments? Review!**


	11. Chapter 9b

**Dear Lovely Reader People,**

**As promised, here is the second part of Ch. 9. It was going to be longer, but I cut out a big part that really made no sense anyways. I would say more, but it's like 1:30 in the morning and I reeeally want to go to bed. Sorry for any typos/ format issues, I'm basically half-conscious.**

**Delphy – Aww, thank you so much! I love the support.**

**Alley Arlington, RougeReaper – Glad you guys like it, thanks so much!**

**XxSullenLiftyGirlxX – Thanks, and I know, right? :)**

**ecrooked24 – Glad you liked it! And your advice is all good ;) Thanks again.**

**Here we gooooo…**

* * *

**Anna POV**

"Oooh, I'm glad we went with the updo, it will look so good with your dress," Pepper remarks as she works on braiding my wavy hair into a complex knot at the back of my neck.

"Definitely," Jane chimes in, as Nat puts the final bobby pin in the brunette's half-up, half-down look.

"Done," the spy says, as she leans back to admire her work.

"I love it, Natasha, thanks," Jane says wholeheartedly, as she peers at her hairstyle in the mirror. "I never have a chance to dress up for anything, I'm not used to having my hair done this well."

"And… you're done too," Pepper says, also handing me a mirror to see the final outcome.

"Pepper! Thank you so much, it's beautiful," I compliment. I can't remember the last time I felt this pretty, especially after spending so much time in those stupid hospital gowns as of recent.

"Alright," she says, grabbing a handful of M&M's from one of the bowls of candy we have set up on the bed. "Makeup."

We grab the different makeup bags strewn all over the room and plop on the ground in a misshapen circle. This evening so far has turned out a little bit like a sleepover- except with an astrophysicist, a CEO, and two assassins instead of a bunch of teenagers. The thought alone makes me smile. As I dig through my bag to find some eyeliner, Jane asks, "So, Natasha, how are things going with you and Clint? I'm never around so I don't get a chance to see you two much."

A hint of a blush crosses Nat's cheeks. Sure, pry into my love life, but get all embarrassed when someone asks about yours.

"Very well, actually. What about you and Tony, Pepper?" Nat quickly asks, obviously knowing the answer but wanting to direct the conversation far away from her own relationship. Wimp.

Pepper smiles. "He took me out to dinner the other night to the same restaurant where we had our first date. It was all so sentimental and romantic. It's really unlike his personality to be like this, but it was a nice change of pace."

The conversation lulls as we all turn our focus back to getting ready. Nat and I are done first, with Jane and Pepper completing their final touches a few minutes afterwards.

As everyone beings laughing, talking and gathering up the scattered hair and makeup tools again, I stay quiet for the most part. The pre-date jitters are definitely kicking in.

* * *

I adjust and re-adjust the neckline of my dress for the third time before looking at the clock again. 6:56, and Loki is always precisely on time.

Only 4 minutes to go.

Nat, Jane, and Pepper have long since gone back to their own rooms to get dressed. It was fun to just spend time together being that I had really never had any girlfriends to hang out with until a few months ago. Time flies.

It only took a few minutes to slip into the soft fabric of my dress and to step into my heels, so my remaining time has been spent waiting. The impatient side of me is really starting to come out.

I hear the elevator's signature _ding_ as Fury and Hill arrive. Pepper had (in a slightly hypocritical fashion) determined that the two work much too often and needed to get out of the SHIELD headquarters a little. With some convincing, they agreed to come.

2 minutes left.

Despite having worn much racier numbers than this before, I suddenly become very self-conscious of the long slit running up the side of the dress and exposing the majority of my leg. The other girls had convinced me it wasn't too much, but of course, I'm having second thoughts about it now.

I try to clear my head. How is it that I am more capable of keeping calm in a war zone than right here in my own room?

1 minute.

I perch on the corner of my bed, a bundle of excitement, until I hear a soft knock on the door. I stand and open the door slowly. Because I am calm. And not nervous.

As the door swings open, I almost gasp at the sight of him. Loki is dressed in a stylish black tuxedo. The smooth fabric fits the angles of his lean body perfectly and defines his lanky physique in the most flattering of ways. I could sit and stare at him for the next forever and still be taken aback by his attractiveness.

"You look very handsome tonight," I compliment, unable to hold back my smile any longer.

**Loki POV**

The moment Anna opens the door, I have to struggle to keep my jaw from falling open. She is clad in a demure violet dress that cascades down her body and accentuates her curves. Her fiery red hair is twisted elegantly against the nape of her neck. Her pale skin shows through a slit running from her ankle, past her knee and up to her thigh… my mouth goes slightly dry as I tear my eyes away to look at her face.

Her eyes light up as she breaks into the most wonderful smile. "You look very handsome tonight."

"I am nothing compared to your beauty," I instantly respond, meaning every word.

She blushes furiously. "Thank you."

"Shall we?" I ask, extending a bent arm. She accepts the gesture and we walk together down the hall in the direction of the soft music.

The moment we walk into the room, Tony shouts from behind the bar, "Hey lovebirds, want drinks?"

I can see Pepper's apologetic eye roll from across the room as we drop the escort position and walk over to the bar.

"Lemme guess," Tony says, pursing his lips and pointing at Anna. "Vodka martini- and you" he continues, pointing at me, " Absinthe and champagne."

"Sounds about right," I say.

"Am I good, or am I good?" he asks quietly, more to himself, as we turn to get a better look out at the room.

Pepper has really outdone herself. There are trays of bite-sized food in the kitchen that normally with such a small crowd would have been excessive, but including Thor, are a more reasonable amount. The couches in the living room have been pushed back, allowing a huge open space to be created. I would not be surprised if the area becomes a dance floor later, but at the moment it is serving as a convenient space to wander around and chat with everyone. The most awe-striking element of the room is the ceiling. It is strung all over with white Christmas lights that give the sophisticated cocktail party a warm, welcoming glow.

"And, here you go," Tony says, passing our drinks over the bar.

"Thanks," Anna responds, speaking for the both of us. We turn away, and wander off to the beat of the smooth background music to join the nearest conversation.

**Anna POV**

The entire evening is spent chatting and drinking and snacking with everyone. Even though it is extremely strange to see them out of uniform, I even manage to hold an enjoyable conversation with both Fury and Maria without mentioning work once. Add that to the resume.

After a few hours, the two have to return to base once again. Looking back, I'm surprised they were even willing to come at all. They seem to have an unhealthy addiction to working in that place.

"Bye, thanks again," Pepper calls, as the elevators close and leaving just the members of the team, herself, and Jane in the room.

"Alright!" Tony yells, clapping his hands together. "Now that it's just us, the after party may commence!"

On cue, Jarvis dims the lights and a loud, expletive filled rap song begins to pound over the speakers. That seems more like what I was expecting from Tony.

It takes more convincing for some more than others, but by the end of the night Tony manages to get everyone out and moving on the makeshift dance floor. After countless songs with thumping bass lines, he even decides to play a few slower ones too, much to the relief of several who were unfamiliar with the 21st century, Midguardian style of music.

At first the slow songs are met with laughter, as we all switch partners randomly throughout the dance. The best was when Tony ended up as Steve's partner. As the super soldier grinned good-naturedly, Tony suddenly made a serious face and practically threw himself into a hug with the much taller Steve as they swayed across the floor. By the end of the song Steve was beet red, Tony was smirking devilishly, and the rest of us were in tears from laughing so hard.

But when Frank Sinatra's, "The Way You Look Tonight" comes drifting over the speakers, the mood seems to sober up. I turn around, looking for Loki, and start when I see him standing right behind me.

"May I have this dance?" he asks with a grin, bowing slightly.

I feign surprise. "Why, of course!"

Without a second's delay, he pulls me close against his body and we spin out onto the dance floor. I am sure there are other couples as well, but I am mesmerized by his beautiful, sparkling eyes and the feeling of his strong arms around me.

We are floating, spinning around without a single distraction to take our eyes away from each other. I am falling deeper and deeper into the sweet trance we have created together, when the final notes of the song flow through the air.

"_Just the way you look tonight…"_

We are forced to pull apart much too soon for my liking.

Before anyone can get a word in, the almost constant stream of music comes to an end and the lights brighten considerably.

Tony walks out to the middle of the floor. "Pep, care to join me?"

As she walks over to him, looking slightly puzzled, the rest of us collapse on the nearby couch, exhausted but content after all of the dancing. We watch as Tony takes his girlfriend's hands in his.

"Pepper, I love you so much. You are the only person I have ever known to put up with me willingly for over 24 hours at a time and still love me just as much the next day. Having you as a girlfriend has made me the happiest man on earth, but that time of my life is coming to a close—"

"—Tony! Are you dying again? You can't do this to me—"

"—No, I'm not dying…"

Nat snickers. There must be a back story of some sort here.

"What I mean is, I don't want to call you my girlfriend anymore," he continues. After a long, painful pause, he bends down on one knee and catches the small box Bruce tosses to him.

The lights totally go out.

"I want to be able to call you my wife." He snaps the tiny ring box open, and their faces are instantly illuminated by a soft glow, the same bluish-white hue as Tony's arc reactor.

"It's a diamond," he says quietly, "But I altered the inside to hold a miniature of the reactor made of pieces from mine. So you can always have a piece of my heart."

Pepper is in a state of stunned silence, with tears of happiness falling down her cheeks. "Yes," she cries. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Tony slips the dazzling ring onto her slender finger, and the two share a gentle, but meaningful, embrace as the lights turn back on and we spectators erupt in cheers and applause all around.

Pepper then leans back and yells triumphantly, "We're getting MARRIED!" This results in more hugs and laughs, which go on for several more minutes.

After we have congratulated both of the newly engaged and participated in the traditional "showing-off of the ring," Loki and I share a glance and excuse ourselves from the group. Walking arm in arm once again (I'm beginning to enjoy it, actually), he remarks, "Well that was rather exciting."

"Yeah, it was really sweet. I'm happy for them- they were obviously meant for each other, it was just a matter of time before they got engaged," I agree.

Moments after our discussion was able to start, we reach my room, and it comes to an abrupt end.

"Well, thank you for an amazing evening. I had a great time." I step inside and almost close the door behind me when he speaks again.

"Wait—Anna."

I stop, and open the door again. He looks so vulnerable all of the sudden.

"I know you may not think of me this way, but I have to say it. It's tearing me apart from the inside out."

Loki looks me dead in the eyes.

"I love you."

I really have no idea of how to react. I freeze, unmoving.

He looks crushed, devastated almost, at my lack of response. Loki turns away.

It's now or never.

"Wait!"

He pivots back to face me.

Everything shifts to move in slow motion. I take a step, then another in his direction, before he even has a chance to grasp what I am doing. I'm not even sure if _I_ know what I am doing.

In one swift motion my arms are around his neck and we are kissing, starting out gentle and slow, but then escalating to fiery and passionate in an instant. My hands tangle in his hair, and his in mine, and I can't get it out of my mind how right it all feels, not strange or foreign by any stretch. My leg hitches around his, and slowly slides back down to the ground as our lips separate.

I also look him dead in the eye when I say,

"I love you too."

**My heart is aching from all of the fluff right now! Review!**


	12. Chapter 10

**Hello my lovely and amazing readers!**

**I am so extremely sorry for the delay, but now school is over! As of next week, expect bi-weekly updates! HOORAH! I'm going to skip addressing individual reviewers just this once, but I love the support- it keeps me going! And thanks again to everyone for waiting. **

**Where we left off: Holiday party with crazy dancing afterwards, Tony and Pepper got engaged, and Loki and Anna confessed their love. Finally.**

* * *

**Anna POV**

I want to remember exactly how Loki's eyes look right now forever. The happiness radiating from them is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and to know that I caused it… My mind can hardly comprehend the thought. After spending so many years torturing and killing for a living, making someone truly happy for once is the most joyous feeling in the world. And I can tell that this man in front of me legitimately and unconditionally cares about me too, no matter what.

My leg slowly untangles itself from his and our arms slide down around each other. We simply stand there in the dim light of the hallway, in a close embrace. I can feel his thumb slowly rubbing back and forth on my shoulder blade, and the tiny comforting gesture only makes me want to hold him tighter. We understand each other. We're two broken pieces coming together to make a whole.

A sudden thought crosses my mind, and I crane my head back to look at him as I say it. "Will we ever find that? What Tony and Pepper have?" I ask, sounding pitifully like a lost child. All of my former courage from our previous kiss is beginning to drain away.

"We'll make it for ourselves, darling," Loki replies quietly. He gives me a quick kiss on the forehead, which reassures me more than any words ever could. "Until tomorrow," he says, and before I have a chance to say another word he slips down the hall and into his room without a noise.

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

**Fury POV**

As the elevator doors to the Avenger's living room slide open, the first sign of life comes from the quiet tapping on a laptop from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Director Fury," Jarvis greets as I exit the elevator.

"Is that you Nick?" Pepper calls out. "It's early, let me get you some coffee," she suggests, looking up from her laptop with a smile. She is seated at the table, face lit by the computer screen and surrounded by stacks of legal papers marked all over with various notes in the dim morning light.

"Thank you ma'am, but that won't be necessary. You seem fairly accustomed to having unexpected guests at this hour," I remark.

"Well, when living with this group of people, you tend to get used to all sorts of stuff," she laughs. "I'm just finishing some work here, but I'll be out of your way soon. I take it you need to speak to the team?"

"Yes, rather urgently. We've had some recent developments regarding an enemy force, and a mission is in order."

"Well, good luck," she responds, knowing not to pry for any more information than necessary. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"Wake the team and have them come down here as soon as possible, please. For a meeting."

"Of course, Miss Potts."

Pepper quickly gathers the papers around her neatly into files. "It was nice seeing you again, Nick," she says with a wave, heading towards the elevator. "Don't work too hard."

"I should say the same for you, Miss Potts," I call back. I swear, if she wasn't so tied up at Stark Industries, SHIELD would have her hired in an instant.

I am only left in silence for a few seconds before Rogers, Romanoff and Barton arrive in the kitchen, followed soon after by Thor, Loki, Martin and Banner. They all sit, exchanging murmurs of conversation as we wait for Stark, who eventually shows up looking extremely disheveled and muttering about how getting up before sunrise is a crime against humanity.

Skipping formalities (and trying to avoid any smartass comments from Stark), I launch right into the mission briefing.

"Recently, one of our longtime opponents, the Red Room, has begun some collaborative activity with a separate organization, whose identity has not been determined yet. We had agents on the inside gathering information, and the last we were able to hear was that the leaders of both groups were planning to meet at a gala at Paris this evening to finalize the details of a transaction of some sort. Our next step is now to send some of you undercover to gain more intel. We haven't yet finalized the plan, so numbers can vary as necessary. Any volunteers?"

"You said… you 'had' agents?" Romanoff asks; her expression unreadable.

"Their cover was blown. Killed in action."

She nods, and then says with quiet resignation, "I can't go. Too much history, and I would be too easily recognized."

From then on the rest of the team chimes in with their answer.

Martin then looks up with determination in her eyes. "Count me in. I need to get back to the field."

A look of concern flashes over Loki's face before he speaks up. "I'm in."

"I'm gonna stay with Tasha," Barton says, ignoring the protesting look from his partner.

Rogers looks up. "I'll go."

Banner leans forward to the table. "Yeah, I'm not exactly the guy you want for undercover missions."

"Nor I," Thor agrees.

Stark speaks up for the first time this morning. "I won't be able to go; Pepper has me coming to some legal meeting this afternoon that I can't miss… What? Don't look at me like that! I'm responsible!" After everyone's look of doubt ceases to go away, he shrugs. "Well, it's never too late to try…"

"Probably better that way," I remark. "You're terrible at stealth." Before he has a chance to protest, I raise my hand. "I don't want to hear it. You know I'm right."

I head towards the door, while giving a few last instructions. "Rogers, Martin, Loki: we'll meet at the SHIELD base in an hour for the flight, where you'll be briefed more thoroughly. We will have covers fabricated for all of you, and your bags will be packed. Don't be late."

**This ended up being a bit of a transition chapter. As always: REVIEW, YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! ;)**


	13. Chapter 11

**Dear Readers, Simply put, you people are amazing. To my lovely reviewers:**

**Delphy, bellabella882: Aww, thank you so much! The support means a lot. I hope you all like this chapter :)**

**Castiel Angel Heart: I tried to have Loki use magic some, but too much makes it too easy ;). There will be more to come. Hope you like!**

**Quinn: Literally, your review made my life. Thank you so much for the support. So much. **

**Alright, stuff is finally happening. There's also a part where I say 'begin music' and 'end music', where you can go to this link (just get rid of the extra spaces and add a 'com' after the second dot- www . listenonrepeat . /watch/?v=JYVnxk8OeeI) for some extra background music to set the tone. It's definitely not necessary, just something I wanted to try out. **

* * *

**Anna POV**

"For once, I wish I didn't have to dress as a slut to lure a target in," I gripe, shaking my head back and forth to ensure the stability of my wig.

I take a few steps back to get a better look at my entire outfit in the long hotel room mirror. SHIELD definitely knows their stuff when it comes to going undercover. I am encased in a ridiculously tight, glittery, gold dress. My wavy blond wig cascades over my bare shoulders and makes me look relatively unrecognizable. The real magic is in the makeup. The blood red lips, smoky eye shadow, and the heavy contouring of my nose and chin make me look like a completely different person. Add in some green colored contacts to offset my blue, a wild amount of bracelets and some 4- inch stilettos, and the disguise is complete.

Loki emerges from our bathroom, wearing a handsome navy tuxedo. His hair is cut short in a more typical American hairstyle, and his eyes are a dark brown, also due to contacts. Being that he hasn't been involved in many undercover missions yet, his disguise doesn't have to be as radically different as mine.

"I'm sorry you have to dress like that too…" he says with a small smirk, eyes trailing down my every curve in this stupid dress.

"Hey!" I snap, jabbing a finger in his chest. "Eyes up here." As much as I love it when he notices my outfits, now is definitely not the time.

I want to maintain my stern look, but his sheepish grin breaks me down. "I'd kiss you right now if my lipstick wasn't going to get everywhere. Now go."

He chuckles as he grabs his transmitter and fits it in his ear. "How about later then?" he asks.

"Deal. Be careful."

"I always am," he counters, before opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

I sigh as I also grab my transmitter, fit it in, and turn on the mic.

"Steve, Loki is headed down."

"Copy," Steve's voice comes crackling over the comms unit. "Datsik's at the bar. Blue dress." The super soldier has already been downstairs for some time now, dressed as a nondescript waiter and serving drinks to the guests. He still isn't totally comfortable with women throwing themselves at him, so he opted to take a lower profile act this time around.

A faint elevator ding comes from Loki's transmitter. A moment later he responds, "I have a visual." The static from his end promptly cuts off as he turns off his microphone. With the heightened level of security at this event, we can't afford to take any chances that would endanger our secrecy, and nothing says noticeable like someone talking to themselves in the middle of a party. Steve will be in charge of communication between all of us because anything he says just looks like he's muttering drink orders to himself.

A small pang of jealousy reverberates through my chest. Vera Datsik, the head of the Red Room's rich girlfriend, is Loki's target. His job is to lure her back to her room, knock her out, and then search the room for any information he can find. The thought of him kissing, touching another woman… it makes my palms itch. But I guess we're equally uncomfortable, because my job is essentially to do the same thing to the head of the other organization. Here's hoping he's straight.

I adjust the neckline of my dress one final time before opening the door and walking into the hallway. I manage to get into an elevator alone for the trip to the ground floor, where the gala is being held.

"On my way down," I report into the transmitter, then I turn off my mic as well.

"Loki's already walked by his target, and she's definitely noticing. From the looks of it, the meeting is going to be held in a private dining suite off of the main room. It's due to start in… 8 minutes," Steve states.

I take a deep breath and will myself to relax. I'm actually looking forward to this- it's been so long since I've had a chance to go on a strictly intel mission. It'll be fun. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

I begin to hear music that the quiet buzz of voices and laughter slightly overpowers. The elevator gives a soft chime before sliding open to reveal the luxurious event space.

_[Begin music]_

The walls are covered in exquisite gold moldings and several priceless works of art. The guests, all wearing some of the finest clothes imaginable, are either perched atop the plush furniture or packed into small conversational groups with drinks in hand. The entire room is crowned by a massive chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling. The fixture is dripping with thousands of diamonds and casts a warm glow over the otherwise cold personalities of the partygoers.

I step out into the room, and judging by the amount of head turns, I can assume that the disguise is working. I make my way over to the bar, walking a little slower than usual to make sure the proper attention is caught.

"Vodka shot, please," I ask in a slight Russian accent, downing it as soon as it is placed in front of me. If I have to hit on some guy, it couldn't hurt to have a little alcohol in my system. Besides, I've built up an adequate tolerance for it at this point.

As I wander off to find an uninhabited place for me to watch the entrance to the dining suite, Steve's voice rings in my ear once again. "5 minutes."

I've got all the time in the world. I find an open area and begin to scan the crowd for a face that I do know- Isaak Shostakov, leader of the Red Room. After a moment I see him enter, not 30 feet from where I am now. He strolls leisurely in my direction, which thankfully give's Loki a perfect window of time to get Vera upstairs. I make eye contact with Steve, who is in the middle of carrying a platter of champagne flutes. He sees my look and gets the message.

"Loki, now would be a good time to get out. Isaak is occupied," he says into the transmitter.

I watch as Loki smiles and takes Vera by the hand to lead her upstairs. Everything is falling into place—but then my heart jumps to my throat as Isaak turns and begins to walk in the same direction. If he sees them, our shot to get information from her is totally blown and Loki is in for a world of trouble.

I stare in dismay as Isaak continues to travel in their direction. Oh, God, I have a plan, but I'm not looking forward to this. I quickly grab a glass of champagne off of Steve's platter with a breezy 'thank you', and weave between the guests to get right in the path of the two. With a deep internal sigh, I wait for the perfect timing… and turn abruptly. The bubbly liquid in my hands splashes all over Isaak's shoulder and down his arm.

He has a look of total outrage plastered over his features, but upon seeing my look of dismay, he lightens it slightly.

"Oh, sir! I am so sorry, мои извинения!" I exclaim. (_My apologies!_)

He raises his eyebrows upon hearing my fluent Russian. "Вы говорите на русском?" (_You speak Russian?)_

"Конечно, это то, где я вырос," I respond, dabbing at the damp fabric with a napkin. (_Of course, I was born there._) His smile widens.

A minute or so later of pleasantries, I am gladly forgiven of my crime against his tuxedo jacket and we both go our separate ways. Luckily, Loki and Vera are nowhere in sight.

"Nice save," Steve comments, as I return to my previous spot. But upon glancing back at the meeting location, I see the back of Isaak's head disappearing into the dining suite and the door being closed behind him.

Shit, I missed my chance. I have to wait for the meeting to be over now. Loki better get some damn good information from that girl.

_[End music]_

**Loki POV**

Vera giggles as she fumbles with her room key. When she finally manages to unlock the door, she grabs me by the arm and drags me into the dimly lit space.

"Shall I pour some wine?" I ask, gesturing to the bottle in the ice bucket on the bedside table.

"Be my guest," she says with a sly wink. I'm glad this evening is coming to an end- her abrasive personality is really beginning to affect me. I pour two glasses and lay down next to her on the bed.

After staring for a moment, I confess to her, "Your eyes are absolutely enchanting."

She smiles, and then says with a groan, "Oh, I wish my boyfriend was as amazing as you."

After spending so much time on Midguard, this comment seems to be a total faux pas on her part. But I suppose if you've had a quantity of alcohol as large as she has, some remarks just slip out.

Sensing the opportunity to get some information, I ask innocently, "How so?"

She sighs. "He spends so much time working on this new project of his… he says, 'This will change the world- you just wait!' but I couldn't care less about his stupid job. He has no time for me!" she pouts.

"A shame," I say as she slips a hand inside my tux jacket and slides it up my chest. "I only wish we had more time before he returns." Her disinterest makes me doubt she knows much else about the deal, so I set down our glasses and move like I am going to kiss her. Using magic, I force her into unconsciousness just before our lips meet. She should wake in roughly 12 hours with nothing but a headache and some fuzzy memories.

Moving swiftly off the bed, I begin to search the room for any documents or evidence that may be of any help to SHIELD. Dresser- no, suitcase- no, coffee table… a small stack of papers peeks out from under a Parisian magazine. I uncover the pile and flip through what seems to be several legal papers with a note at the top of one. _"I received your message. Here is your copy of the agreement to look over before our meeting. -S. Kudinov"_

That can't be right.

I look over the papers, and sure enough, there it is again. "Sergey Kudinov."

Leader of the Black Cobras, and the man who held Anna captive.

* * *

**Aww snap. Anna has to seduce the guy who captured her. Shit just got real. REVIEW.**


	14. Chapter 12

**Hello all, **

**Hope you are all doing well this lovely Saturday night! Reviewers:**

**Mythicalbeast , Alley Arlington , Delphy : So glad you all are excited about this! The action isn't over yet after this chapter, so stay tuned. Thank you so much for all of the support. **

**bellabella882: Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it. :)**

**Keepin it short today. Here we go…**

* * *

**Anna POV**

My heart picks up when I see the door to the meeting location swing open. Isaak steps out first, but then turns to talk to the man still concealed by the door. Seriously?! This is taking forever. I begin to walk towards the men, hoping to get my target's attention. I'll circle around a few times, with the ultimate goal resulting in him coming to talk to me first.

Isaak nods and shakes the man's hand as I near them. Perfect timing. I glance up with a sultry smile as my target steps into the room and—

No. No, it can't be him, it can't, I have to be imagining it. But I blink, and his face is the same.

Without letting him see me, I dart down the hallway and turn the corner. Without thinking, I duck through the nearest door. It turns out to be a tiny supply closet that smells like bleach and cardboard.

I flick on the fluorescent lights and struggle to catch my breath as the image of Sergey's face flashes in my mind. The memories of those long, horrible days of his men beating and torturing me are coming back in jagged waves. My legs shake and I sink to the hard ground between the mop bucket and broom. I want to break down and sob- just knowing that he is still alive is reducing me to an unstable heap on the floor. How am I supposed to talk to him? Suddenly breathing becomes hard, and my vision gets spotty. My scalp and cheeks feel impossibly hot, while my arms are freezing and the walls seem to close in and no matter how hard I try I just can't get any damn air into my lungs—

"Anna?" Loki's voice in my comms unit cuts through the misery and soothes me enough to take a semi-deep breath. I turn on my mic.

"Yeah," I respond, voice quivering.

"I take it you saw him," he says, sounding apologetic and concerned at the same time. "I just found out myself. Are you going to be alright?"

"I don't know," I admit, wringing my hands. "I'm kind of freaking out."

Steve's voice cuts in. "Who are we talking about?"

Loki answers for me. "Sergey Kudinov. Head of the Black Cobras."

I need to change the subject before I totally lose it again. "Loki, where are you?"

"Datsik and Shostakov's hotel room. She's unconscious. I searched the room but only found one document."

"That's better than nothing." I take another deep breath, and push myself back into a standing position. The panic attack behind me, I'm able to think a bit clearer. This one man, no matter what he did to me, should not have the power to affect me like this. The only way to conquer my demons is to face them. I've learned that, if nothing else, in this career. "I… I think I can do this."

Loki is not convinced. "Anna, what if something happens?"

"I hate the idea of being remotely near that bastard, much less having to flirt with him. But he's the last chance we have tonight to get information from these people, and without it, SHIELD will be lost in all of this. I can do this."

"I'll stay near you downstairs in case anything goes wrong," Steve offers.

With an anxiety ridden sigh, Loki grumbles. "Leave your mic on. I can teleport to where you are upstairs if you need me. At least that way you won't ever be totally alone with him."

His concerned tone makes me smile a little. It's taking a lot of trust on his part to let me attempt something this risky.

"I'll be out soon, give me a minute," I request, adjusting my outfit and double checking to make sure everything is in the right place. _I can do this._ I wait for the right moment, then dash out of the closet and glide into the event space like I was never even gone.

"At your 2 o'clock," Steve mutters.

My thoughts race as I travel through the packed event space towards Sergey. The night he captured me was certainly too dark for him to see my face clearly, and any time after that I had dirt and grime all over it. In fact, the only way he knew I was a SHIELD agent was because of my uniform. With the different hair and eye color, I am fairly certain he won't be able to recognize me at all.

I'm about 20 feet away now. Seeing Steve out of the corner of my eye reassures me a bit. Knowing that he has my back makes this first encounter a little easier.

I walk near Sergey, giving him the same sultry look I had planned on using earlier, before walking in the opposite direction. I wait on bated breath to hear his reaction.

"He definitely noticed you, but I didn't see any recognition," the super soldier reports. It's all going to work out.

I am about to circle the room again when Steve says, "Stay there. He's coming to you."

I pretend to look over a piece of artwork hanging on the wall as a hand, the same one that just months ago was used to inject me with poison, rests itself possessively on my lower back.

"You caught my eye, прекрасное," his voice grates on my ears.

I turn, feigning mild shock. "It's not nice to surprise people like that," I purr, leaning into his pudgy chest. Never have I been so disgusted in my life.

"Let me make it up to you," he suggests, grabbing my hand and guiding me towards the elevator. This pig is making my job laughably easy. I should have known.

We weave through the crowd and make it to the elevator. The doors slide shut, and now it's just me and him. Something about this disguise, the fact that he doesn't know who I am, makes me feel like a different, more confident, person. And frankly, it's the only thing keeping me from having a total meltdown right now.

"You look extraordinary in that dress," he compliments, before leaning in to kiss—thank God—my throat. If he went for the lips, I might have unraveled.

The doors slide open and we make our way into his room. I slip off my shoes as he takes off his jacket and lays down on the bed.

"Care for a drink?" I ask, holding up the decanter from the coffee table.

"None, thank you," he says gesturing for me to join him. This poses a small problem. Now I have to knock him out in a much more conspicuous way- physically.

I rub his arm as I ask nonchalantly, "So, what kind of work are you in anyways?"

"Nothing of any concern to you, sweetheart," he responds curtly.

I laugh, trying to get him to open up. "Aww, I just want to get to know you better, Sergey! How about a hint?"

His eyes narrow sharply. "How do you know my name?" he asks.

I turn my look of horror into a look of humiliation as I attempt to patch the hole. "Well, I saw you from across the room and was too shy to talk to you… so I asked around for your name. Oh, this is so embarrassing!" I pretend to admit, looking away to hide the terror in my eyes.

Sergey buys my pathetic lie and begin to chuckle. "Sweetheart, you don't need to be embarrassed…" he tails off, and when I turn back to face him our lips collide. Fighting every last instinct, I lean into the kiss and start to awkwardly unbutton the top of his shirt. I hate my job.

He grabs my hand and begins kissing his way from the tips of my fingers to my wrists but stops when he sees the faint scars from my imprisonment. His doubtful look turns accusing when he sees matching one around my ankles. Only metal shackles leave marks like that- and he knows it.

"You—" he starts, and I silence him by landing a well placed punch to the side of his jaw. I've had enough of this guy, and he seems so caught up in touching me that I doubt he's going to want to talk anymore. His entire body goes limp, but just for good measure I punch him a few more times. Just to make sure he's definitely unconscious. My job isn't so bad.

I back off the bed and take a moment to congratulate myself. I have faced the man haunting my nightmares and won. I have a grand feeling of closure: after being preyed on by him, I finally had the chance to strike back. Literally. A strange feeling, but a great one all the same.

"He's out. Loki, you wanna help search?" I ask.

Out of nowhere he teleports by my side. He peers into my eyes, worried. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "Yeah, I think so… the adrenaline at this point is taking over. Let's just search this place and get out."

We jump to work looking all over the room for anything that may help, when Loki suddenly looks up.

"Two guards are coming up to check on him. We've got 20 seconds until they knock." Magical awareness does have its benefits.

"Can we take them?"

"I don't see why not," he responds with a small grin. He's just as glad that this mission is almost over as I am.

"Aha!" I exclaim, holding up a cell phone found inside a pocket in one of Sergey's bags. I slip out its memory card (as the phone itself can be wiped by them later on) and stand up. "That's all we have time for. Let's go."

I pull off my wig and almost grab my shoes, but at this point they seem more of a hindrance than a help. Bare feet and a skin tight cocktail dress will have to do as stealth gear for now. I am about to open the door when Loki injects, "Wait!"

I turn and am about to ask why, but upon looking down, I see that we are both in full uniform: I in my SHIELD issued suit, and Loki in a simplified, lightweight version of his battle armor. Yeah, magic and stealth missions should go hand in hand.

"There," he says, giving me a quick kiss. "Now we're ready."

His perfection astounds me.

I throw open the door, and kick the startled guard in front of me back against the wall. Moving into the hallway, I break another's arm and slam his head into the doorframe as Loki takes down the remaining two guards.

"We're out of here, Rogers," Loki says into the transmitter. "Meet you at the extraction site."

"I've activated the signal. The helicopter should be there in 6 minutes," Steve's voice crackles back.

We're in the clear; all we have to do now is make it to the roof of an abandoned building 4 blocks down to get picked up by SHIELD.

Loki and I run down the hall and into the stairwell. At this point, we risk being seen in the elevators.

"Isaak just sent some men up because he can't find Vera," Steve reports. "You two are gonna have company when they find out what went on."

I glance at the floor level as we continue to run down the stairs. 16. We've got a long way to go.

* * *

**The action is not over yet! It will continue into the next chapter, but don't worry, we've got a little fluff to come afterwards. Please review and let me know how you feel about everything: characters, action, plot, relationships- your input really helps me along! **


	15. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone, **

**Recently had 2 revelations: the first that I should reply to reviews directly via messaging and save a whole lot of space. Took me this long. Secondly, this mission feels like it's dragging on forever. At least to me. Sorry about that. **

**Also, a whole lot of thanks to everyone who reads this story- as of yesterday, 10000+ views! WHA?! I'm floating right now. Thank you all so much. **

**Still going to thank my reviewers though: Alley Arlington, ecrooked24, Delphy: you guys rock.**

**Alrighty. This chapter paves the way for some lighter stuff next time. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Anna POV**

Lungs burning, Loki and I finally reach the ground level. We haven't encountered any guards yet, but I'm certain Isaak has already figured out what went on tonight. He's no idiot- he's the leader of his organization for a reason. I open the creaky exit door and peer out into the dark, damp alley lining the side of the hotel. Aside from a rusty dumpster and some puddles, the area is totally empty. We steal out of the building and jog towards the street.

"You don't need to stay with me. Teleport to the building and I'll meet you there," I order, growing uneasy with the lack of resistance we've encountered in our egress.

He gives an indignant huff. "And leave you alone?"

I'm about to throw a comeback at him regarding my perfectly adequate ability to take care of myself when I freeze- a racket of shouting voices and stomping feet sounds like it's coming from the front of the hotel.

"We can't get cornered here," I hiss, more to myself, as we sprint as fast as possible out of the enclosed space. If they see us before we get out, we're as good as dead. I hear the angry voices get louder with every step. Running faster than I have in a long time, we reach the street, turn the corner, and promptly hear the resounding bangs of gunshots being fired at our backs.

The noise sends pedestrians screaming and running to take cover in nearby buildings, effectively providing us with a wonderfully open sidewalk. I pull my pistol from its holster and turn while I run, landing shots in the closest mens' chests as fluidly as possible.

"Turn left at the next street," Loki yells from behind, as the bullets continue to whizz at an unnervingly close distance.

"That's not—"

"Do it!"

Not having any idea of his plan, I turn.

"Keep running," he says in a more hushed tone, and I do until he drags me behind a street food vendor's cart. I glare wildly while we pause in semi-silence, but to my surprise, the pounding footsteps of the Red Room guards continue down the street where we were previously running.

"They're chasing after our doubles," he says with a proud smile. "Only illusions though, so they'll figure it out soon enough when the bullets have no effect. Follow me."

We take off on a different route to the extraction point, winding through back alleys. As we turn the last corner, I begin to hear the faint beating of helicopter blades. I climb on top of a nearby dumpster and jump to the lowest level of the fire escape, where Loki has already teleported and helps me up.

"More stairs…" I groan lightly, as we begin to scale the metal structure.

"Is that you?" Steve asks, hearing the clatter. I can see his silhouette leaning over the roof of the building to get a better look.

"Yes. Please don't shoot us- that would be hard to explain to Fury."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Suddenly there are more shouts from below, and enemy bullets ricochet around us. Steve promptly takes out the few men shooting at us. Just when I think we're in the clear, I feel a sharp sting on the inside of my left arm. Without stopping to look I know I've had much worse, but I can't help thinking how I was a step away from that bullet being in my lungs.

The chopper gets steadily louder until I hear the slight bump of the skids on the concrete. We make it to the top, jump into the transport, strap in, and take off in a matter of seconds. As we lift into the sky and slowly rise over the glittering city. A few more shots resound, but at this point we can't be hit. It feels good to be going home.

* * *

"… we made it up to the roof and took off," Steve finishes recounting our mission to Fury. Normally a lower ranked agent is responsible for debriefings, but as this issue is still at a high level of classification the Director decided to lead it himself.

"Is that all you managed to come back with? Some slips of paper and a memory card?" he asks, his irritation showing.

Loki breaks the painful silence. "Yes sir."

Fury seems at a loss. "I sent 3 agents who should be at the top of their games to go get necessary intel, and they bring me back a 2 page agreement and a memory card that may or may not have any value to us. That is not good enough. We have meager amounts of information on these people, and absolutely no idea what the two are planning to accomplish together. Time sensitive isn't even close to describing the urgency of this situation. If you have anything useful to say, it would be best to say it now, unless you want to be stuck in new agent training for the rest of your sorry-ass lives!"

I lean forward. Something strikes a chord in my memory, but I can't place why just yet. "Lives… lev… leviathan. Leviathan. That's it."

"Care to explain, Agent Martin?"

I stand abruptly and begin to pace around the conference table, hoping what I'm about to say makes sense. But as the facts fall into place in my mind, everything clicks. "This partnership between them wasn't just out of the blue. They've been planning this for a while. Director, do you remember the brief you brought up a few months ago at a status meeting? About the Red Room's latest project?"

"Yes, but we didn't have much to report. They had been trying to weaponize their own version of the super-soldier serum," Fury responds, eyeing Steve. "They're calling it the Leviathan project."

"How can you weaponize a person?" Steve asks.

"In addition to improving physical and mental capabilities," Fury explains, "The serum would also make the subject's body able to secrete a neurotoxin of some sort, to which they themselves are immune to. An added weapon against enemies in combat."

I connect the dots. "The same neurotoxin Sergey injected me with. When we were sparring he called me a 'talented young SHIELD agent'…" I suddenly realize what really went on that night. "They just needed someone to test it out on. Who better than a SHIELD agent? If it could take me down, it could take down any other of our operatives. And that way, we would also think that their organization is failing, coming to an end. All of the torture… it was a ruse. They knew you would send people to get me and blow up the place, making us feel that the threat is gone. In reality, the Black Cobras were becoming infinitely stronger with the help of the Red Room. The two are one, and we played right into their game."

I don't even realize the repercussions of what this means until I stop talking. This is a new enemy superpower.

"There's only one detail that doesn't make sense. Why would the Red Room need the help of any other organization?" Steve asks. "They've been hell-bent on staying an independent force from the very beginning. Why change now?"

We sit in silence, both comprehending what we know and speculating about what we don't.

"They need people," Loki speaks up. He looks at me. "You said that the Black Cobras worked solely in human trafficking, correct?"

I nod.

"The Red Room needs people to make into these toxic creatures, and who in their right mind would be open to going through with a risky procedure like that so willingly? They can brainwash the victims, get their undying support," he states. "Numbers will soar."

After jotting down a few notes, Fury stands. "That's enough to go on for now. Thank you agents, you're free to go." Believe it or not, that's actually the most impressed I've ever seen him. Usually after meetings, we receive a glare and a 'get back to work.'

He leaves us alone in the half shocked stillness of the conference room. My mind races to catch up with the developments we just made; the details trying to string themselves together in my mind. Just when I thought I could put this whole ordeal behind me, it unravels again. I'm not sure how much longer I can take it.

* * *

**Loki POV**

I walk into the kitchen back at Stark Towers, hungry and tired. The team, save Thor who is visiting Jane, and Anna and Steve who are taking showers, is sitting around several half-empty pizza boxes chatting quietly.

"Look who's back, Reindeer Games!" Tony calls, leaning back in his chair.

Pepper doesn't even dignify his comment with a response, and instead holds out a plate with a few saved slices for me. "How was the mission, Loki? Everything go okay?"

I take a bite and chew slowly, trying to think of a way to explain the series of occurrences we had managed to string together just a few hours previous.

"It could've gone better. Would you like the whole story, or just the major points?"

"Fury's gonna make us read the whole briefing if we ever have to work as a team on this, so let's just hear the cliff notes version," Nat decides.

"Alright. Anna had a panic attack and hid in a supply closet before making out with the same man who injected her with a Red Room designed neurotoxin a 2 months prior. Oh, and she also dumped champagne on and proceeded to make friends with Isaak Shostakov to give me time to seduce his girlfriend. And Steve served rich people liquor."

Clint snorts. Everyone else just stares.

"Well put," Tony remarks.

Bruce looks intrigued. "Red Room designed neurotoxin? Do they have any idea what it could be yet?"

I shake my head. "We don't have any idea where to source a sample, and the only evidence we have that it even exists is Anna's experience."

"I think I know a way," the scientist says, his eyes unfocused as he thinks. "I'll have to analyze some blood and do some database research, it's definitely doable."

I must admit, his wide array of medical knowledge impresses me. "Your assistance will be a great help."

I spend another few minutes in pleasant conversation with the group, before deciding to return to my room. I stand, thank them for the meal, grab a plate for Anna, and head back down the hallway.

As I enter our room, I can only see the back of her head, looking down through the wide window. The sun has already set, but the city is still lit by the last fleeting rays peaking over the horizon.

"Want any food?" I ask, setting the plate down and moving to stand next to her. She is staring at the small gash on her arm, now held by 5 stitches.

"Nah," she says absentmindedly, pulling her sleeve back over the injury.

I search for the right words. "I'm sorry you had to go through what you did with Sergey. I can only imagine what it was like."

"Nah, it wasn't that terrible," she says, trying to laugh it off, but her face is void of any trace of humor. "Before, I just felt like I finally had it all under control, you know? But now with the alliance they're making… the closure for all of this seems just so far away."

"Just remember that the team will always fight by your side. You are never alone."

She smiles a little.

"Me especially," I laugh, dragging her into a tight hug.

"You're terrible," she snickers back, but she doesn't falter in her hold on me.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Wow. This chapter took a mind of its own. **

**REVIEEEEEW please. **


	16. Chapter 14

**Dear all, **

**Fast update Friday, hooray! Sorry this is a little short, but I wanted to fit it in because I will be losing internet access until the 23****rd****. Expect an extra long update then! Also, don't know if you've seen it, but Nat and Steve share a kiss in Captain America 2 (pictures online). I screamed. It was amazing. Look it up if you haven't already. **

**Thanks to reviewers Alley Arlington, ecrooked24 and Natalie.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Morning everyone," I call, breaking the concentrated silence of the lab.

Bruce responds with a distracted 'good morning' as he furiously types something into a computer, and Tony just grunts.

"I've never seen you up this early, beautiful," I remark, sitting across a work table from the billionaire.

He gives me a quick glance before continuing to solder the work in front of him. "I never went to bed. I've been up for the last 30 hours developing a new piece of tech. Still a raw prototype, but what do you think?" he asks, holding up a golf ball sized jumble of wires and metal pieces.

"If I knew what it was, I would be complimenting it wholeheartedly right now."

"It's one component of an externally operated detonation system."

"How smashing."

"No need to be cruel, Gingersnap."

"Iron ass."

"Beethead."

"Hey, as much as I love to watch you two act like children, I've got to get the blood samples now," Bruce interrupts our playful exchange.

"This isn't over, Stark."

"Never was, Martin."

I walk over to the chair Bruce has waiting and plop down. "How much do you need to take?" I ask.

"A vial or so," he replies, "Nothing too bad." He wipes down my arm with an alcohol wipe, and continues to talk as he starts prepping the needle. "Because you've been exposed to the toxin before, your cells have probably developed a slight immunity to it. We can run the blood through the system and find out where the immunities are, and based off that we can draw conclusions on what the serum consisted of. Now, when you were injected you said there was paralysis, then sharp pains?"

"Yep," I say, squirming just a bit as he inserts the needle. "But it was extremely fast working- I've been given stuff like that before but it has never caused a reaction as fast as this. It was a matter of seconds."

Bruce raises his eyebrows in surprise. "That is unusual… they've really put some work into developing this."

Before our conversation can progress any further, Clint comes striding into the lab with a massive grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hey, any ideas where to hide a pistol?" he says hurriedly, holding up a small black gun. Nat's gun. Dead man walking.

Tony looks up. Aside from his love of inventing, vintage cars and rock music, he is also a prank mastermind. "From a scale of glared at to held at gunpoint, how much trouble are you willing to be in after this is all over?"

"Go big or go home, Stark."

"Excellent." Tony reaches into a nearby drawer and pulls out what looks like a 9mm bullet, and hands it to Clint. "Load that in the chamber, but make sure you're there when it gets fired. You're gonna want to see it," he advises, smiling like an idiot. "As for the hiding part; here," he says, handing the archer a watertight plastic bag. Where does he get all of this stuff? "Seal the gun up, hide it in a toilet tank. Good luck."

"Much obliged," Clint responds, darting back out of the lab. That man'll be dead by the morning.

"You sounded remarkably like Fury there for a second," I comment, as Bruce finishes up and puts a square of gauze on my arm.

"Never thought I'd get that one," Tony laughs.

Bruce takes the sample and fits it into a compact machine hooked up to an array of computer monitors. He types some commands into the control panel, and the device begins whirring softly. Different information boxes starts to pop up on the screens, and he explains each one as it appears.

"This is measuring cell counts and oxygen levels, and this is screening the blood to determine if there are any active contaminants remaining… but this, this is what will help us," Bruce says, pointing to one specific results feed. "It's going to take awhile from here, you probably won't wanna stick around. I'll let you know when I get the results."

"Yeah, I better get going. I promised Steve we would spar, and he's probably back from his run already. Besides, I don't want to be here when Nat stops by en route to finding Clint. She's going to be in rampage mode."

"True. Thanks for letting me stick you with a needle."

"Any time, Bruce."

* * *

I walk back to my room after a long day of training. I'm looking forward to a shower and some food. Upon entering, I notice a note lying on the corner of the bed in scrawling handwriting. _Hope to see you here at 7:00. All my love, Loki_

An address was printed at the bottom.

"Jarvis, can you tell me what's located on 15 Broadway Street?"

"It appears to be a 5-star French restaurant popular among the New York elite."

I'd better get ready then.

* * *

After a short cab ride, I arrive at the restaurant. I'm in a black dress and heels, with my hair twisted into a loose bun away from my face.

I pay the driver, and step into the cool, dim light of the luxurious building. I am seated after a few seconds, at a table where Loki is already waiting for me.

"What's all this?" I ask, looking around in wonder at my exceptionally glamorous surroundings.

"Well, we never had a chance to spend personal time together in the city of love, so we might as well compensate for it now," he responds, eyes twinkling, as he leans across the table to kiss me.

From then on our evening just keeps getting better. We share a glass of wine with our meal, laughing and talking about anything that comes up- it just feels so natural.

We finish dinner and decide to head back to the tower. Upon drifting into our room, he closes the door behind us. Something about the mood shifts as he leans down to kiss me, one hand on my cheek and the other on my waist. I reciprocate the passion, and we end up sitting on the bed with me on top, straddling his lap.

"Eager, are we?" he laughs breathily, but puts up no resistance. My hands tangle in is hair as I pull him into another kiss, pressing my body into his with raw hunger.

I feel his sweet breath ghost my neck as we fall back to bed, two hearts becoming one.

* * *

**GAHH I'm bad at writing that stuff. So so sorry. I'm not sure how I like this chapter. **

**Review PLEASE!**


	17. Chapter 15

**Helloooo all!**

**So sorry this is late, but after I got back from my trip I got sick, and then a guy from Germany stayed at our house and we spent a day touring the city with him… I just had a really weird week.**

**Just gonna cut to the chase today- hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Loki POV**

Anna stirs in my arms, burying her face in my chest.

"Mmm… thank you for the surprise date last night. It was very romantic," she mumbles, still half asleep.

"Anything for you," I respond, trying to soak in every sensation of our embrace, loving the electric feel of her skin on mine.

We continue to lounge in bed, drifting peacefully in and out of consciousness until the rising sunlight and morning clamor of the tower become too apparent to ignore. We tangle ourselves out of the sheets, throw on some clothes and meander out to the kitchen. To our surprise, Tony is already fully awake and seated at the table, coffee mug in hand. He sees us approaching and gestures wildly.

"C'mon lovebirds, you're just in time!" he calls to us from across the room. He seems to be watching a projection of some sort on the wall- a live video feed of the gun range. "They just got back from their run, they should arrive in the range in a few seconds."

Both Anna and I grab coffee for ourselves, then sit next to Tony, who looks one step away from cackling with glee.

"Is this the second part of the prank yesterday?" Anna asks him, who nods, not letting his eyes leave the feed as Natasha and Clint enter the screen. Seeing my confused look, she explains. "In addition to hiding her gun, Clint also loaded it with some sort of special ammo he got from Tony. I guess this is where we see the consequences. "

I smile a bit remembering Natasha's fury the night before. She had located her missing gun with ease, but went berserk on Clint after having to fish it out of a toilet tank. I can only imagine how she will retaliate this time.

"So what exactly—" Anna starts, but Tony cuts her off with a reverent, "_Shhh._ This is going to be beautiful."

We watch in silence as the assassin and the archer grab their respective weapons and ready themselves to fire at the targets downrange.

"Jarvis, make sure you're recording on all camera angles in that room. I don't want to miss any of this," Tony says.

"Of course, sir," his AI responds, sounding slightly like a worn out parent. I can see why.

Then, finally, we watch as her finger curls around the trigger and pulls back in one fluid motion. There is no sharp _BANG_ as per usual, but more of a dull thud. Natasha is suddenly standing in a cloud of what looks like bright pink glitter as it slowly rains down to the ground.

Tony is howling with laughter, and is barely able to catch his breath before looking at the screen and doubling over again. I must admit, the entire situation is fairly amusing. She is stoic as ever, body rigid and face emotionless, but her eyes have the smallest amount of shock as the glitter floats around her. She turns to glower at Clint, who is laughing uncontrollably as well, and growls, "Clinton Francis Barton."

Not wanting to give her a head start in catching him, he sprints from the room, all the while shouting, "IT WAS SO WORTH IT!"

* * *

The entire team sits at the breakfast table about 20 minutes later, Natasha glaring with traces of sparkle in her hair, and Clint with the beginnings of a black eye but a grin all the same. The poster children for a perfect relationship.

Tony opens his mouth, but before he can say a single word, she cuts him off. "If you value having your testicles connected to your body, then I suggest you stay silent."

Tony nods.

Steve, obviously eager to move on from the harmless subject of reproductive organs, practically shouts, "So Bruce, you were telling me about yesterday's research conclusions?"

The doctor, studying a printed stack of notes, glances up. "What? Oh, yeah." He shuffles around the stack of paper, and when he finally finds the right one, he hands it to Anna. From a quick glimpse I can see it looks like a list of chemicals and percentages detailing his findings.

"That's the long version," he explains. "But basically, the neurotoxin is a specialized form of fast acting curare that avoids the respiratory system. It completely paralyzes victims while allowing only the muscles necessary for breathing to function, thus keeping them alive, but a temporary prisoner of their own bodies."

Everyone at the table can clearly see Anna shudder as she remembers her experience, but Bruce continues with an apologetic glance, not wanting to draw out the explanation any more than necessary.

"Then, a chemical found in snake venom begins to act, which causes the sensation of pain. With more research I'll be able to formulate an injection that creates an immunity to the paralyzing agent, but not to the pain generating chemical. It's impossible to create a barrier to that because it doesn't really affect your muscles; it only creates the illusion of discomfort in your nerves through your brain."

Somehow knowing what the Red Room's weapon is—knowing what we're up against—makes the idea of success seem a little more feasible. By the slightly hopeful expressions around the table, I can tell everyone senses that as well.

"Thanks so much for working on this Bruce," Anna says, handing him back the sheet of paper. "We'll get this information to SHIELD, I'm sure it'll help a ton."

"My pleasure," Bruce replies. "I'm happy to get back in the medical side of things after working with Tony on his mechanical stuff for so long."

"Mechanical stuff!" Tony exclaims, evidently forgetting about the previous threat to his anatomy. "They are world renowned inventions! Groundbreaking creations!"

"Yeah, like glitter bomb bullets are any help to—"

"Stark, that was your idea? I'm gonna have this stuff in my hair for weeks—"

"—That's not my problem—"

"—It is now!"

And with that, Tony comes to his senses, realizes his fault, and promptly flees the room before Natasha can get a hand on him.

"Let him hide," she growls. "The dread is worse than being attacked anyways."

"You can say that again."

"Fuck off, Barton."

"Harsh, woman!"

Thor cuts in, still confused. "Friends, what is this 'glitter bomb bullet' you speak of? Are they useful in battle?"

* * *

**2 months later**

**Anna POV**

A gust of cold, early spring wind hits my face as I jog leisurely down the New York sidewalk. I take a deep breath of the fresh air, thankful that it hasn't rained on me yet. Forecasts show that this will be the rainiest spring the city has seen in several years.

I get lost in my thoughts again, and almost run straight into a small crowd of pedestrians. The Red Room's Leviathan project has consumed my thoughts the last few weeks, as SHIELD scrambles to get as much information as they can. This operation is like none we have ever seen: we don't know how many people are involved, we don't know how far along into production the serum is, we don't know where anything is located… and we are no closer to finding anything out than we were from day one. I'm surprised they even made it possible for us to figure out the neurotoxin formula, but I guess the plan couldn't be entirely foolproof, or we wouldn't know about it in the first place.

I turn into the lobby of the tower, board the private elevator and can hardly take a step onto our floor before Pepper's voice rings across the living room.

"Oh, good, Anna's back! Come sit, we have an announcement."

The entire team, plus Jane, who is visiting, is strewn across the couches and chairs, as Pepper and Tony stand facing us.

He begins. "As you know, Pepper and I had been planning to have our wedding in a few months, but we've realized the paparazzi attention is going to distract from it all, not to mention the weather won't cooperate. And we've all been working continuously with very little personal time off for the last few months for any real vacations and such."

"Most importantly," Pepper takes over, "we don't want to wait any longer to be married. So, we've decided to have the wedding in two weeks- in Hawaii!"

The room erupts into surprised cheers and applause.

"We know it's last minute and all, but we've already gotten the go ahead from Fury. It's two-fold for him: ship everyone off on a vacation and get the wedding over with at the same time. Less down time," Pepper laughs. "Our jet leaves early tomorrow morning, so everyone, go pack!"

Everyone in the room takes off in different directions, the entire floor now in an unexpected state of excitement and anticipation.

Loki falls into step beside me as we walk to our room.

"I've heard Hawaii is a fairly romantic place, is it not?" he asks, raising one of his eyebrows and wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"As long as I'm with you, I don't really care where we are," I reply, smiling at how ridiculous I just sounded. I drag him down for a kiss.

I could use a vacation.

**AHHgkkcagckah I'm sorry, I said this was going to be long and a ton would happen but I tried about a million times to make it all fit in one giant chapter and the whole thing just sounded sooo awful BUT it's okay because another chapter will be coming out tomorrow! It's better this way, I promise. REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 16

**Dear all,**

**Thanks again to all of you hotmazing reviewers: Veronica Shadow, ecrooked24, MyLadyAssassin, Alley Arlington, HoratiosGirl101**

**Again, tiny chapter today, but with a lottt of excitement. Next chapter tomorrow. Hoorah. **

**Oh, and Alley Arlington…. AHAHAHAAAA IT'S HAPPENING! I hope you're just as excited as me.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**Anna POV**

I wake up to sunlight streaming faintly through the windows. The curtains do a lot to block it out, but the room gradually fills with the soft glow of morning nonetheless.

"Awake?" Loki's voice breaks through the silence.

"Yep."

We don't move for another few minutes; just lay together with my head on his shoulder and his arms around me. I want to stay like this forever. The plane ride yesterday was long and exhausting, and though it was mid-afternoon, I collapsed into bed as soon as we arrived at Tony's luxurious beach house.

Despite my comfortable surroundings, at this point the clawing in my stomach is hard to ignore.

"Breakfast?"

"Sure."

It's remarkable how similar our morning routine is even though we're halfway around the globe. We reluctantly unwind ourselves and throw on some fresh clothes. Walking down the hallway, I am able to notice my surroundings more so than last night, when I was barely conscious.

The floors are pristine white marble, with silvery grey veins running through. The walls, varying in color from room to room, are several different shades of blue- both stormy grey and pale sea green blending seamlessly. It looks very effortlessly chic and relaxing in a very 'Pepper' way.

We arrive in the spacious kitchen to the woman herself; sipping a cup of tea and scribbling furiously in a small notebook. We exchange 'good mornings' as I explore through the fridge for something to eat. The only thing edible I manage to find is a bagel, so I make a mental note to pay a visit to the local grocery store later.

As I sit at the table, Pepper looks up at me. "We've got a full day ahead of us. We're going to pick up my dress at the alterations place here where I had it shipped, plan the layout for the ceremony space and shop for flower arrangements. I figured we'd get most of the wedding stuff done early on so we can spend time vacationing the rest of the week."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Who else is going?"

"Just the girls: Jane, Natasha, you and me. It shouldn't take long." She takes notice of Loki's smirk and laughs, "Don't look so happy yet, the guys are getting fitted for suits today."

He looks slightly horrified at the thought, and I can't hold back a snort. "Hey, at least you don't have to shop for flowers. It could always be worse."

* * *

Several hours later, our women group returns from our shopping trip to an empty house, as the guys are still out. We'd gotten everything done that needed to be, and even had a chance to tour the local shops some.

Pepper hangs the dress bag out on the table, sets her bag down, and steps back with a pleased look on her face. "There," she says, her excitement apparent through her voice. "We're done! All we have left is the setup the day before."

The rest of us let out a collective sigh of relief. It's hard to run at the speed of efficiency Pepper enjoys, so having the majority of the wedding prep behind us is nice.

"Wanna put on a movie?" Jane asks, perusing through a bookcase filled with hundreds of different DVDs.

After several minutes of suggesting ideas, we all laughingly decide on _Mamma Mia_ (might as well make this a wedding themed week) and pop a few bags of popcorn.

We get comfortable and start the movie, but within the first 10 minutes, my eyelids get heavy, the noise around me starts to fade out into a pleasant lull...

"Anna?" Nat asks, snapping me back to a more alert state. "Taking a nap? Because your head's about to fall into the popcorn bowl."

I laugh a little, and sit up further in an effort to stay awake. "Sorry, I've been pretty tired lately."

Nat narrows her brow. "How can you possibly be tired? You slept for almost 14 hours last night."

"Jet lag, I guess," I shrug.

We turn our focus back to the movie, but after dozing off a few more times, I decide just to go back to my room.

"I'm gonna go take a nap," I declare quietly, shuffling by everyone to various murmurs of 'alright' and 'sleep well'. It is kind of strange for me to be this tired, I'm usually capable of adapting to different time zones after so many years of travel.

I slip under the cool white sheets of our bed and am about to close my eyes when a sudden thought slams its way into my mind and sends my rocketing to my feet.

No. No way. It can't be. I fish around in my bag for my phone, something I don't check very often seeing as I live in close proximity to everyone important in my life. I check the date.

No. There is no way this is happening. I'm late. But with the stress my body undergoes, my cycles have never been precise. There's only one way to know for sure.

* * *

20 minutes later I am seated on the floor of the bathroom, staring up at the tiny piece of plastic on the counter and trying to comprehend the immense change of events that just occurred.

I snuck out of the house to avoid seeing the girls and went to the convenience store down the road that I saw when we were shopping earlier. It took me forever just to work up the nerve to pick up the tiny box reading 'Pregnancy Test', much less go to the counter to pay for it.

I read over the instructions one more time, as if I really need to. Pee on the stick, wait. It should be as simple as that. Unfortunately, it isn't.

Loki and I have never talked about having children, but I do know we weren't planning to anytime in the near future. Our pasts are both scarred with a noticeable absence of true parents… if we don't know what it feels like to have them, how can we be them?

My eyes dart back up to the counter where the test sits. It's been 3 minutes. I grab it, but can't make myself look.

Ok.

You can do this.

I take a shaky breath, and look down.

Positive.

My heart almost jolts its way out of my chest, and my vision goes foggy. A wave of nausea overtakes me- but I can't tell if it's nerves or morning sickness or both. I curl up on the ground, clinging to the cold stone as a temporary means to keep from passing out. Suddenly, over the ringing in my ears, I hear the noise of several people talking- the men must be back. I can't tell him yet, not when I can't even handle the news myself. I scramble to discard everything, and just manage to get it all out of sight when I hear his voice.

"Anna? Are you well?"

What? How does he know something's wrong, there's a door between us!? Wait… I realize how hard I'm breathing, I'm practically wheezing in an effort to keep air flowing through my lungs. I open the door and step out, trying to control my voice.

"I, umm…"

Pure concern flashes in Loki's eyes. "What's wrong?" he asks anxiously, reaching to wipe off the tears that I didn't know were streaming down my face. Happy tears? Sad? I don't even know. Mostly afraid.

"I don't feel good," I choke out in a pathetic lie, and slump down onto the corner of the bed.

In an instant he is by my side, lifting me into his lap and stroking my hair gently, letting me cry into his shoulder.

I don't know what to do anymore.

**REVIEW**


	19. Chapter 17

**Dear all,**

**Sorry for the long delay, this stupid chapter was ridiculous to write. RRAAAH. Rage.**

**But can I just say, OHMYGOSH- so many reviewers! I love hearing from you all, thank you so so much.**

**I think I'm going to have to stick to short (but frequent!) updates for the next few weeks, I'm taking a writing heavy course this month, and when I get home I literally have no drive/time whatsoever to work anymore. My apologies.**

**Hope you all like!**

* * *

_"I don't feel good," I choke out in a pathetic lie, and slump down onto the corner of the bed. _

_In an instant he is by my side, lifting me into his lap and stroking my hair gently, letting me cry into his shoulder. _

_I don't know what to do anymore. _

**Anna POV**

"Can I do anything to help?" Loki asks gently, as I continue to sniffle like a child. As nice as it feels to be wrapped in his arms, some inner voice finally decides to speak up. _You have to tell him sooner or later, so how's waiting going to help?_ This is just two people having a baby. I don't know for sure yet, but I'm thinking the world will probably not implode because of it.

"Just stay here with me," I request, and he nods. A few minutes more, and the abrupt bout of hysteria is behind me. I slowly move to sit facing him with my legs crossed.

"I'm actually feeling okay, I'm just a little… shocked," I admit, taking his hands in mine. He peers into my eyes, silently asking me to continue.

"I really don't…" I say, but stop myself. _You can do this, just get it over with already._

"I'm pregnant."

There.

Done.

I said it.

"I don't know if in Asgard it's customary for a couple to be married first, but I'd be willing to get married tomorrow if we have to, and even though we weren't expecting this at all we can still—" I ramble, until he finally cuts be off.

"A child?" he asks, the look in his eyes hard to read. I nod, letting a soft blanket of quiet cover the room.

After an eternity of silence, Loki's eyes lock with mine. His hands slip from mine to rest gently on my stomach.

"This is truly wonderful," he says, breaking out into an awestruck smile.

"Really? You're not mad or anything?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know… we hadn't had the chance to talk about it yet. I guess you never seemed like the type of person who would ever have children."

His eyes glaze over as he gets drawn into his thoughts. I can see the wide range of emotions flicker across his face in a split second, before he comes back to himself.

"I never thought I would have children either, but the difference between that and wanting them is a wide one."

His response, however simple, gives me a lump in my throat.

"I don't deserve all you have given me, Lady Anna," he says quietly, leaning in to give me a soft kiss.

* * *

**Natasha POV**

The ocean breeze dances around the small audience as the happy couple finishes the exchanging of vows.

"…in sickness and in health, for long as we both shall live," Pepper finishes repeating, her eyes beginning to well with tears of joy.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Bruce announces, smiling proudly at the two. Stark had pulled a few favors and somehow managed to make the doctor a justice of the peace in less than 48 hours notice. Though none of us would ever admit it in fear of inflating his ego, that man really did have the means to take over the western world.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Our tiny crowd erupts into loud cheers that ring down the empty beach and fade into the crashing ocean. Pepper had picked a beautiful ceremony space; nothing but pristine, empty beach for several miles.

Our trip actually turned out to be fairly enjoyable, and even though our group's interests tend to be eclectic, everyone managed to find a suitable pastime.

Steve took to drawing the lush scenery all over the island. He had a sketchbook filled with different pieces after only a few days. He was intrigued by everything here, especially given that Hawaii wasn't even a part of the United States in his time. When Tony discovered that Steve had yet to spend any real time on a beach, the billionaire practically dragged him to the nearest vacation hotspot before he had any time to protest. They returned a few hours later: Tony, eyes sparkling with barely concealed laughter, and Steve, both confused and horrified. Upon further inquiries, it turns out that bikinis freaked out the captain, among other things. He stuck to less populated areas from then on.

Bruce also tended to stay on the more quiet side of things, always reading, whether he was at the beach, pool, or elsewhere. We also discovered his freakish ability to be totally comfortable in the hot weather, regardless of his long sleeves and pants. He attributed it to the time spent in such an intense climate in India, but either way, there was something off about seeing a fully clothed man lounging contentedly next to a pool.

Clint and I spent most of our time lounging around at the ocean or the beach house. After so many years of forgoing vacation days, it was exceptionally strange to sit still for hours at a time, not accomplishing anything in particular. The new scenery during our habitual morning runs was easy to adjust to, however. Everything was a lot more natural, in a direct juxtaposition to the concrete maze of New York sidewalks.

Thor, having never spent much time in a place this tropical, was more than happy to be led around the island by Jane to see the waterfalls, valleys and various beaches. Every night the two would lie on a blanket and gaze up at the stars, occasionally pointing out the various celestial bodies to one another.

The remaining un-engaged couple, Anna and Loki, spent a lot of time at the ocean, walking up and down the beaches as the waves lapped at their feet. The pair seemed to act a little differently lately; he watched her movements much more often, as if he was scanning her figure for any signs of discomfort, and every time her gaze landed on him, her eyes would soften the slightest. Something about it pointed to… but I want to be certain before I say anything, so I'm going to continue to observe from afar at this point.

The soon-to-be-married couple was definitely enjoying themselves as well. Tony, besides finding pleasure in our resident super soldier's discomfort, was perfectly happy spending hours relaxing anywhere with one of two things: sun, or Pepper. I suppose even his constantly working mind needed a break at some point. But knowing Stark, his thoughts were probably just getting ahead for the next time he has access to a lab. Either way, he was content. Pepper was the same way; just thankful for a chance to breathe. The day after the wedding, the rest of us, including Happy and Rhodey (who flew in for the ceremony) are headed home, while the newlyweds will stay another week as a honeymoon of sorts.

As the happy couple walks back down the aisle, we all parade behind in the direction of the beach house. No Stark wedding would be complete without a reception.

**Loki feeels. Hope no one got too OOC-let me know. REVIEW!**


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